Our Lives Changed Upon Meeting Her
by ahmadhaikal28
Summary: It has been a hundred years. Things change especially for Kochiya Sanae and Kawashiro Nitori that lost their memories and lived in an alien world where science ruled supreme, oblivious about their past. However, as they came into contact with a certain woman, how would their lives change? Will they remember their past? (Many OCs, aliens vs gods bs, sc vs magic, weird shipping)
1. Prologue

**Prologue: The Universe's Secret, ATLANTIS**

 _The claim that humanity had merely existed for less than a million years was flawed; completely erroneous and ridiculous. In fact, even the original lunarians were never the first to set foot on the moon and earth._

 _It was known that humans had existed for such a long time that even Heaven had not existed when humanity started. At that time, the ground was pure so there was no concern about death. In fact, it was said that the humans before the creation of Heaven were living in a utopia._

 _A world void of death._

 _A world without fear._

 _A world where all diseases were literally nonexistent._

 _A Pure Earth naturally untainted by impurity of any kind, not needing any type of artificial impurity prevention system._

 _A world where everything was explored deeply and thoroughly._

 _A world where everything could be explained through knowledge._

 _The humans of that era lived in a global country named Atlantis; a country that was known for its advanced technology and high standards of living._

 _It was said that even the lowest among them lived better than the best of lunarians at that time. That was how vast the difference in living standards between lunarians of today and the people of Atlantis from the past._

 _At the peak of the civilization, they could create Pure Lands with ease. While they were not expansionists, they had optimized their technology to their liking and at one point erased all earthquakes by creating a keystone that was also a Pure Land by itself._

 _For that reason, Atlantis remained as history's greatest civilization, unmatched even by the lunar capital itself._

 _However, the people of Atlantis had one major flaw._

 _As they lived in eternal bliss, they began to forget the gods and constantly enraged the gods._

 _They worshipped their own knowledge and abandoned the spiritual._

 _For the arrogant people, they believed that they were the gods; eternal and undying._

 _As punishment, the enraged god High Lord Amenominakanushi and a group of enlightened people lifted the keystone of Earth that was created by the Atlantis people through some complicated political planning and strategy and turned the keystone into another Pure Land known as Heaven. It remained as a perfect, untainted Pure Land even when exposed with impurities. It was a part of the lost Atlantis technology that lunarians could never replicate even after studying that world for thousands of years._

 _What followed was a major earthquake that crushed the whole civilization, turning everything into nothing. All life perished but a few humans that remained devout to the gods._

 _These humans would later be the noble gods as they received promotion from the All-Father, High Lord Amenominakanushi to rule over Earth and the solar system._

The lazy woman continued reading the ancient Earth history book originating from the lunar capital titled 'The Lost Civilization: Atlantis'.

She felt compelled to read the book after she found it while rummaging through Eirin's personal book shelf.

"As expected, Eirin really has a lot of books about these weird things that most people wouldn't even care about. But she's a super genius so I am confident she knows everything written here. Although it sounds like a fairytale even for me."

The knowledge regarding Atlantis was trivial to lunarians; it was common knowledge to them. However, Earth humans were clueless about the existence of this civilization.

As the lazy woman stretched her hands and flipped her body without any sign of motivation in her life, Eirin entered the room only to smile at the woman.

"Princess Kaguya, just what are you…"

Before she could finish her sentence, she had noticed the book that Kaguya was holding.

"Princess, since when are you interested with old Earth's history?"

The doctor gently asked as she approached Kaguya but the latter stared at Eirin with a face filled with curiosity.

"S-Say Eirin, do you believe in Atlantis?"

The doctor replied with a kind smile and a nod.

"So, it must be true then…about super humans roaming over Earth and this planet being a Pure Land before you were born. But then…" Kaguya stopped and thought, "if they were so great why did life on Earth perish after Great Grandfather created Heaven with his fellow gods? Couldn't they find a method to survive at least? Or foil All-Father's plans?"

The doctor stopped and thought for a moment. Kaguya's question was truly a brilliant one.

The doctor moved her finger and touched her chin as she tried to come up with an answer.

She was a super genius, a master of the mind, the fountain of knowledge even among lunarians. A sage among sages, known as The Brain of the Moon.

Yet she was not omniscient. There were instances when she could not fully predict something or come with the exact solution to something. Despite that, she was beyond any other being using the title 'Sage' in terms of intellect.

As smart as she was, she could not answer the question. To be more accurate, she would rather not answer the question because she was uncertain about the accuracy of her answer.

The only thing she could reply was: "Isn't that an interesting thing to ponder upon? They might have fled Earth for good. Just like how Lord Tsukuyomi and the rest of the founders of the capital left Earth for good."

Unsatisfied with the answer given, Kaguya poked Eirin's cheek playfully and said: "But you've returned to Earth after leaving it for so long."

Eirin replied with a pleasantly surprised look which subliminally agreed with Kaguya and said: "I'm home."

And laughter filled the room afterwards.

* * *

Yagokoro and Kaguya did not realize this but in a distant planet separated through space and time, with an estimated distance of 127000 light years from Earth there was an academic history class in a seemingly infinite-sized hall.

The hall was illuminated with golden light, yet it had a somewhat dark atmosphere within it. It gave the vibe of a cinema theater before the lights were turned off.

There were several hundred humans looking towards a single woman from beneath their seats as the woman spoke freely from her mind, without referring to anything.

" _After the religious bigot known as Amenominakanushi, the last child of the last Prime Minister of Atlantis and his high-profiled pampered politician friends that were influenced by his lunatic religious ideas sabotaged the keystone on Terra and brought upon terror to the ordinary masses, our ancestors had no option but to flee from the chaos known as the Great Earthquake. While our ancestors never colonized other planets, faster-than-light travel was nothing new at that time allowing us to escape from the terror that wiped our traces on Earth to this world. Tyrador. Our home, our planet. To avoid the same mistake of not having backups, our ancestors have sent multiple spaceships to land in various planets in this region of space and colonize it as quickly as possible. Because of that, humanity has successfully become one of the most dominant species in the galaxy alongside our equal, rival and partner, the Meringians."_

The students nodded as they listened thoroughly to their lecturer. They seemed to be fascinated by their lecturer's way of conveying the lesson in a narrative manner.

" _Due to that reason, the current Tyradorian government formed a harsh stance on religion and has suppressed any attempts to revive religion and religious teachings to prevent the events of Atlantis from happening again. In many inferior civilizations, religion has been a cause for major wars and bloodshed. Crusades were launched, blood were spilled and opposing religion groups were slaughtered mercilessly in the name of some imaginary creatures created by the feeble mind trying to justify the reason behind the purpose of their existence. Among higher civilizations however, they have used religion as a tool to justify their lust for imperialism and expansionism. These civilizations played the roles of gods and demand worship from the inferiors arrogantly. We, as the most advanced civilization in the universe should never attempt to force our beliefs and system towards other existences. We should not bother to play the role of God and that is the harsh reality."_

* * *

There was a woman in shrine maiden clothing sweeping the entrance of the Hakurei shrine diligently in the morning. She was smiling as she swept the dry leaves on the ground.

That woman, being a member of the Hakurei bloodline was crucial in maintaining the stability of Gensokyou although she seemed to be your average woman.

"Rukako!" another voice interjected.

The shrine maiden looked at the sky as she heard her name being called by someone. The voice originated from another woman that was flying on her broom and she landed swiftly and skillfully in front of the shrine.

"O-Oh…grandaunt Marisa! You're here!" the shrine maiden replied. "Lady Reimu is inside, drinking tea and enjoying herself."

"Oi, oi. Calling me a grandaunt makes me feel rather old, you know?"

"But you ARE old. Please realize that."

Ignoring the shrine maiden's words, Marisa slide the shrine door open and greeted her old friend, the shrine maiden of the Hakurei shrine when she was younger.

"Oi Reimu, are you just going to sit there and drink tea the whole day? Without me?"

The person drinking the cup of tea turned her attention to Marisa.

"Do you want to be exterminated, youkai? I suppose Rukako is not doing her job properly if she's allowing a youkai to enter this shrine."

Hearing that sentence, Marisa giggled. She recalled the old days when that woman would mutter words such as "Youkai Extermination Time".

"Hey now, you're slowly becoming like that old hag Kanako. Let that new habit of yours develop and you'll be the carbon copy of her someday. Literally. She might even take over the shrine"

"…Not in the slightest chance. Even though I'm a goddess now, I am still going to be like me when I'm still alive."

The magician sat beside the goddess of the shrine and took her cup of tea without any hesitation. That was the way it has always been since the old days.

"Why did you take so long to return? Waiting you for fifty years…it's a long time for me, you know?! I even ended up as a youkai in my current state."

During one of Marisa's magical experimentation some time ago, she had accidentally performed an anti-aging experiment which turned her into a magician like Alice and Patchouli. As such, she lost her humanity and had become a youkai magician like Alice. Despite that, she refrained herself from consuming humans and were considered harmless to humans.

As for Hakurei Reimu, she was worshipped after her death and subsequently received enough faith to oust the old Hakurei god and become the new goddess of her own shrine. However, unlike the former goddess she received plentiful amount of faith and as such obtained the capability to materialize in a physical form.

And fifty years has passed since Hakurei Reimu officially died and was replaced by her niece as the next generation Hakurei shrine maiden, only to be succeeded by Hakurei Rukako who was Reimu's grandniece.

In Gensokyou however, some things change while some do not.

The most obvious change was…

"GYAAAHH!"

It was the sound of Rukako shouting as loud as she could early in the bright morning, startling the two women inside the shrine.

"Reimu, you need to train that grandniece of yours even harder!" exclaimed another woman.

She had entered the shrine in a carefree expression and smiled at the two women.

Wearing a high school uniform, a black cloak and a sinister-looking hat, there was no need for introduction about the woman.

"…Sumireko," said Marisa.

The magician looked at the woman who originated from the outside world.

However, Usami Sumireko was no longer a human. She was a corporeal ghost akin to Yuyuko and had just descended from the Netherworld for some pleasure.

She passed away in the outside world a few years back and was judged to be a denizen of the Netherworld by Eiki. However, unlike other souls Sumireko's soul maintained a physical existence and took the corporeal form of herself when she first made her 'debut' into Gensokyou.

"Apologies! I just returned from the outside world after visiting my granddaughter Renko. She was visiting my grave. Obviously, she could not see me although somehow her friend Maribel sensed something about me…it gave me the shivers. A ghost being terrified by her granddaughter's friend, how funny."

Reimu and Marisa merely nodded as they listened to Sumireko's explanation. To the two who had experienced too much, that was nothing worth to be concerned about.

"O-Oh, by the way doesn't it feel that the barrier's a bit unstable these days?" the ghost continued asking. "I penetrated the barrier and definitely felt something weird about it."

Reimu merely sighed and pointed towards Rukako.

"It's her doing," Hakurei replied as she pointed at Rukako. "I was training her the ability to control the boundary between Gensokyou and the outside world. Man, this is all Yukari's fault for leaving Gensokyou for good after handing me all her abilities."

The three women stared at each other in silence as they remembered the youkai of boundaries, Yakumo Yukari.

After Reimu ascended to godhood, Yukari had given the new goddess all her boundary-manipulating abilities except for a few while exclaiming that she wanted to 'disappear for some time and enjoy herself', leaving Gensokyou under Reimu's absolute control.

"Yukari, that idiot of a youkai…I can't help but wonder about her well-being these days," muttered Reimu in a somewhat melancholic manner.

Marisa merely slapped Reimu's back and replied: "It's Yukari we're talking about. She'll be fine wherever she is, except at the lunar capital. Ehehe…anyway, isn't it about time you train Rukako today?"

For Reimu who has always been lazy, hearing the term 'training' boggled her mind. Even though she was not the one undergoing the training process, just overseeing her grandniece was a tiring thing to do.

"A-Ah…I'm so lazy to train her today…Can't we call it a day? How the heck is Kanako able to train that greenhead every day last time?"

Sumireko grinned.

"That greenhead…you mean, Kochiya Sanae?" the ghost replied.

The shrine maiden of the Moriya shrine from the outside world who entered Gensokyou before Sumireko did, the ghost found her intriguing as someone with a similar background.

"She's been missing with Nitori for a hundred years now. Rumors had it that they were already dead," replied Marisa nonchalantly as she recalled something from the past. "It happened after an explosion was heard at the mountain foot and besides the two, only Momiji was around."

"But if they're dead, wouldn't Komachi or Eiki know? Perhaps Hecatia?" interrupted Reimu, somehow unsatisfied with Marisa's answer. "Unless their souls wander off…and become vengeful spirits? Oh crap…I've exterminated a lot of vengeful spirits in my lifetime…I might have killed them as well."

It was not impossible for people dying in such tragedies to become vengeful spirits that were unsatisfied with life.

"Apologies Sanae, Nitori…rest in peace," Hakurei continued as she gave her prayers and blessings.

Sumireko merely scratched her forehead and gave a forced laughter as she heard Reimu.

 _(I'm glad I did not end up a vengeful spirit!)_

* * *

There was a planet located 127,000 light years away from the solar system. It was located at a region of space at the edge of the Milky Way galaxy.

This planet was the planet where the descendants of Atlantis had called 'home' after the Great Quake. A Pure World that will never be tainted by impurity, this civilization has been at the pinnacle of the universe since establishment.

This civilization and this planet was exceptionally great that even the region where this planet was located had been named after it.

It was named Tyrador and the civilization living on it was known as the Confederation of Tyrador.

This planet resembled Earth in many ways. It was a blue planet with greenery and clouds covering the atmospheric layers of the planet. It was similarly sized and possessed many features that were similar to Earth.

However, there were two major contrasts Tyrador had compared to Earth.

Tyrador's seas covered only sixty percent of the planet unlike Earth which had seventy five percent of its surface covered with water. However, there were plentiful fresh water sources on the ground of Tyrador. Thus, the amount of water available in Tyrador was sufficient to fill the demands of three billion people living on the planet.

Secondly, the vast continents and islands of Tyrador were located at the northern hemisphere. There was only one island at the size of Australia located at the southern hemisphere and it was a major plantation site without any human settlement.

However, the view of Tyrador from space was different from Earth.

From the outside of the planet, numerous spaceships could be seen through various spaceports as people and items flooded the ports actively.

Alien cargos could be seen stopping by and going forth, trading goods and services in the ports.

Despite the majestic view of a prosperous space faring civilization that an earthling or a lunarian could only see in science fiction movies, things were quite different on Tyradorian soil.

Under the dim light of the stars and spaceships illuminating the dark sky of Tyrador, a certain green-haired woman was running frantically as she escaped her pursuers.

She looked around her and saw couples walking everywhere while doing sweet gestures. For the woman who has never dated anyone, it made her somewhat irritated to see couples walking while she was running away from her own trouble.

"This is crazy! Why am I wasting my life on such trivial issues! I am Kochiya Sanae, my destiny is surely meant to be greater than this!"

Even as she realized that her tone was somewhat awkward and forced, she forced her legs to continue running as her muscles continued breaking ATP and supplied her with the necessary energy to run.

 _Why did this happen to me?!_ Kochiya thought.

She turned her back only to observe the group of fifteen seemingly male teenagers chasing after her relentlessly. It was presumably a self-declared group that were nothing but delinquents causing trouble late at night.

Five of them were armed with psionic blades attached to their limbs. The blades were three meters long, and Kochiya did not want to fight anyone wielding such long weapons.

Psionic blades were sword-like energy weapons made by focusing psionic energy to focusers that were ring-shaped and attached to the arms of the wielder. Upon activation, the focuser attracted all psionic energy from the mind to the limb, creating an energy sword that could easily slice through diamonds of the highest class. Depending on the user of the focusers, a blade might even be able to slice through rigid buildings or even mountains.

For Kochiya Sanae who had been in the run for a tenth of an hour while covering a nonsensical distance of 120 kilometers across the endlessly stretching concrete forest, she could only fret inside her heart. She did not feel like going into a physical brawl against a group of people outnumbering her in terms of numbers and weapons.

The greenhead believed that if she could outrun them without even landing her fist onto their bodies she would proudly exclaim it as her victory. Incidentally, she believed that she had the stamina to continue running for at least two hours at her current speed without any rest while the group of people chasing her had already weakened their bodies and minds with alcohol.

"This bitch really has some endurance! Stop right there!" shouted the delinquents angrily as they chased her.

Sanae resisted the urge to reply as she wanted to conserve her energy as much as possible.

(Those failures should really thank me for saving their sorry asses from being wiped out!)

She continued forcing her legs forward.

After another thirty kilometers of sweaty and teary running, she exited the urban area and came to a large river. A large metal bridge spanned the river, about 300 meters across, and no cars could be seen on it. Not lit up, the plain metal bridge was wrapped in an eerie darkness much like a midnight sea.

She turned around only to notice that her pursuers were no longer running frantically after her.

(Did I outrun them?)

Feeling victorious, she bent her knees and wiped her sweat using her white sleeved coat drenched in her sweat. She was wearing a white coat that resembled a laboratory coat and formal work attire.

She could feel the moisture inside her long, black pants and leather shoes originating from the sweat excreted from her sweat gland. Her clothes were waterproof and would not turn smelly from sweat through some advanced fabric technology but the moisture accumulating inside gave her a sense of unpleasantness.

"A-Ah, I'm beat!"

Kochiya Sanae resisted the urge to sit down and lifted her gaze to the night, starry sky of Tyrador.

She had successfully resolved the issue without resorting to violence and it was something worth celebrating. Kochiya gave a sigh of relief.

"I can't believe that you actually think that you outran them, silly!"

Sanae's body froze as she heard the voice. She recognized the voice very well.

As she turned her gaze to the source of the voice, she saw the silhouette of a woman covered in darkness. A mere human from Earth would be uncomfortable with such situations, but the situation in Tyrador was totally different from the solar system.

"Hey, don't tell me…you didn't kill them, right?" Kochiya asked.

"Hmm…I did suffocate them, but I spared their lives. No doubt about that."

As Kochiya Sanae's eyes had finally adjusted to the intensity of light of her surrounding, she finally saw the person talking to her.

It was a light blue haired person with twin tails. She was rather short for an adult Tyradorian, and was wearing a blue dress shirt and a light blue pants.

"Sanae, do you think of yourself as a police officer or a prosecutor? Perhaps a teacher or a lecturer responsible to educate those delinquents?"

Indeed, the reason Kochiya Sanae was chased by the delinquents was because of the woman standing before her. She had never intended to save the woman from the delinquents, instead she was saving the delinquents from the woman.

That woman was someone with ability, and a very powerful ability on top of that. Someone like Kochiya could only hope to possess even a slight trait of such power.

"I was about to manipulate their blood flows and hospitalize them, but you went in my way and made them turn their attention towards you. What a benevolent person you are, hahaha!"

"Nitori, you don't have to go that far just to handle such people. Ga-ha-ha! Give me some time to breathe. Ever since I was discharged from the forced military conscription seventy years ago, I have never been feeling this low."

The woman named Kawashiro Nitori replied by looking at her surrounding region.

There was the sound of water flowing gently beneath the bridge.

"Well…you could have beaten them. They were using psionic blades so they aren't even that powerful if you think about it."

"I told you, I don't like putting my life on the line for ridiculous reasons."

"Is that so? Then I guess I should help you buckle up for tonight…"

As soon as Kawashiro Nitori finished her sentence, the water beneath the bridge rose and formed a powerful pillar that charged directly towards Kochiya Sanae. The pressure of the pillar was enough to crush the whole region apart, and it was beyond anything a kappa or a kishin could pull off.

In response, the woman swung her right fist and the pillar of water lost its formation immediately. It became ordinary water that quickly rushed over the bridge and made Kochiya wet. The greenhead's clothing was waterproof, but Kochiya could feel the chillness of river water running through her body.

"NITORI!" Kochiya screamed in fury.

The short woman could only laugh as she saw Sanae wet. The water somehow avoided the short woman and thus she remained dry unlike Kochiya.

"So, are you refreshed now?" asked Nitori after she finished her laughter. "But seriously, your ability is weird. Even after knowing you for a hundred years, I still wonder about your weird ability. Even though you undergo the Tyradorian Psychic Development Curriculum, I highly doubt that you can end up with such a weird power. If you wanted, you could even destroy the psionic blades with the touch of your finger. It's as if you're destroying miracles with that hand of yours."

Kochiya Sanae looked at her two hands and stared at them for a moment.

God Killer.

It was the ability to defy even the omnipotent being.

Every supernatural ability ranging from psychic powers as simple as telepathy and telekinesis to ridiculously overpowered abilities that could be attributed to God would be nullified by the woman.

God's miracles, psychic abilities, magical powers, divine powers and immortality meant nothing before her power. She would nullify everything and turn even the omnipotent God into a mere mortal.

She did not know for how long she had wielded this power. After losing her memories due to a certain incident with Kawashiro Nitori, she woke up in a hospital bed in this planet with Nitori lying beside her without any knowledge of her past.

The doctor in charge confirmed that their memories were impossible to retrieve even with the advanced Tyradorian technology since their bodies and souls were 'void of information'.

It simply meant that if Eiki used her Cleansed Crystal Mirror, she would not be able to see Sanae's past before her memory lost. That was just how ridiculous the situation was.

"Enough of that nonsense. Let's go home already," Kochiya replied as she looked at Kawashiro with a somewhat displeased expression.

Nitori replied with a cheerful smile carved on her face, and Kochiya was defeated by the smile of her housemate and lost her anger almost immediately.

* * *

 **Author's note: Finally. Lol, I feel like editing the story after being inactive for some time. Sorry for the change and the late update (blame my university life and Trump for that haha!). Anyway, as usual the influence of TAMNI, Starcraft, Steins;Gate and Zero no Tsukaima is there as I write this story. Enjoy, and please leave your review. (Slam me, if possible)**


	2. Chapter 1: The Girl From the Moon

**Part 1**

It was Ukhus 6th, Year 3200 following the Tyradorian standard time.

It could be translated as August 6th in the Gregorian calendar system. However, the year was unique since it reflects the number of years since a democratically elected head of planet known as the President has been ruling the Confederation after receiving mandate from the people. Whenever a new President was elected, the year would start with 0 again. It was a weird convention, but it has been accepted throughout the Confederation for years thus it was somewhat a tradition by now.

Kochiya Sanae merely rubbed her eyes as she struggled against her own yearning to lie on the bed. It was obvious from her sleepy, dragged face that this morning was a struggle for her even though she slept like a log after reaching her room last night. Despite that, she had already taken her shower and was dressed in her formal attire; a white coat that resembled a laboratory coat, a white dress shirt, long black pants and blue neck tie.

She had seven sets of the same clothing in her wardrobe, as she found it convenient to wear the same clothing to work every day unlike most women.

"I'm so sleepy…can't I just lie on the bed lazily?"

She lazily rested her body on a soft chair and thought about the reason she was forced out of her soft bed. It was a Sebt (Saturday), and it was meant as a day for resting. Yet, she had to visit her alma mater's psychic laboratory for compulsory psychic development program. The same was true for Kawashiro Nitori, and both women had the same agenda for the day.

"Psychic Development Curriculum, is it?" the greenhead muttered.

Tyrador, or better known as the Confederation of Tyrador itself was a large psychic development institution enveloping the whole planet. The planet revolved around the idea of psychic development curriculum that was enforced on three billion humans living as citizens of the planet regardless of political position or financial wealth. Anyone with Tyradorian citizenship is required to undergo the development program meant to develop psychic abilities within humans of this planet.

It was through this Psychic Development Curriculum that people living in this planet ended up becoming outliers that humans from inferior civilizations would deem as an impossibility. Even a Tyradorian without psychic abilities would still end up possessing superhuman attributes such as running through hundreds of kilometers within hours, jumping high distances without any trouble, strength that would put lunarians and onis to shame, and other ridiculous and unthinkable physical capabilities.

Having said that, this Curriculum also removed all stain of impurity from all Tyradorians and turn them into perfect, pure humans that would never be tainted by impurity should they be exposed to it. Even the purest beings in the Pure Lands would find Tyradorians to be beyond themselves in terms of purity, and this simply proved the Confederation's position as the most advanced civilization in the universe.

However, there were some people who were described as people with talents that would develop some psychic abilities after undergoing the curriculum. These people would be able to use telekinesis, telepathy, psychometry and other normal abilities related to psychic abilities. These abilities were the norm in Tyrador and most people possessed the ability to use such abilities in their daily lives.

Even then, among these people there were exceptionally talented people who obtained the ability to use specific type of psychic powers other than the basic abilities such as hydrokinesis, aerokinesis, thermokinesis and other specific abilities. These people were known as power users, and Kawashiro Nitori was recognized as one.

Even among power users, there were people who had the ability to use more than one power. These people were known as Multi-Skill.

Of course, Kochiya could only sigh as she thought about the hierarchy of psychic powers.

"To become omnipotent, huh?" she told herself.

That was the final goal of the Psychic Development Curriculum. To create a human that can attain omnipotence and become the omnipotent God.

That had been the true objective of the Curriculum, yet many people merely rejoiced at the idea of creating high-quality psychics rather than finding out if it was possible to create God out of Science.

She could not fathom it, but she wasn't really excited about it either. Whether someone really attained omnipotence, she realized that it wouldn't be her. Although she would be exhilarated if Kawashiro was the one who became God (as she thought that it was great idea to befriend God despite her ability that can kill the omnipotent).

Kochiya simply sighed after thinking about it for a few minutes and decided to prepare breakfast for both herself and Kawashiro before going for the program.

Despite all the deep thought going on her mind, Kochiya was not the type to easily give up due to such issues. She was someone with a lot of drive, and depended on her effort rather than her luck.

Just because she lacked the talent in a certain field did not hinder her from being someone successful in another field.

That has been her outlook on life, and it was unlikely that the greenhead would change it anytime soon.

In fact, while her life in Tyrador have its ups and downs she was thought to be a successful person in her career as she quickly rose to the position of a board director in a large conglomerate within seventy years of her working life despite her life as a 'psychic' being deemed as average and unsatisfactory.

"…I'm pretty certain that I'll be forced to consume those weird chemicals again for the sake of power development."

In power development programs, it was common for people to be fed with pills such as Horase and Vellicin which aided the development of psychic powers by stimulating the soul and the brain. However, the pills were not to be consumed with an empty stomach to increase the absorption of the chemicals into the body.

(Preparing some simple salad would be nice…)

Kochiya scratched her head as she opened the fridge and looked for food to be prepared as breakfast.

"Oh, did Nitori forget to buy the vegetables from the market? We still have enough food for two days…I guess we should stop by the supermarket after the examination."

After giving that comment, she took out the food she intended to cook and placed it on the kitchen sink.

Normally, Kochiya and Kawashiro would take turns on cooking the meals so the responsibility to prepare food would shift every day between the two women. It just happened that today was Kochiya's day to cook.

As the greenhead started to wash the vegetables, a holographic screen materialized in front of her.

Kochiya observed the screen rather carefully. The house was regulated by an artificial intelligence system that controlled security, temperature, light and other mechanisms unique to Tyradorian houses.

" _An unidentified person is discovered in front of the main door of this house. The Security Awareness Meter has been raised to Level 1, and further actions will be taken if deemed necessary. Currently, the identity of the person in front of the door is being analyzed and cross-checked with the database…_ "

The AI was rather responsive when it came to security issues. Of course, Kochiya appreciated the AI for being efficient at doing its work of keeping her house safe from anything.

Like other Tyradorian houses, the house was heavily equipped with some anti-infantry and anti-military equipment such as psychic cannon beams, sentry guns and anti-matter beams that were meant to defend the houses from military invasions by foreign powers.

It sounded hazardous and insane to the likes of lower civilizations such as those living on Earth, but such models were in fact necessary to Tyrador since residential areas had been under attack by enemy forces before in various major wars thus security measures were crucial to prepare for another sneak invasion or anything like that.

Even so, there was no need to worry about petty crimes such as theft and burglary. In a world where poverty was nonexistent, such crimes did not exist as well as there was no reason for people to rob others.

"Just who is lying at the front door early in the morning? Don't tell me that she passed out after jogging."

Driven by her own curiosity, the greenhead walked from the kitchen towards the main door of her house. She walked through her living room where some ordinary-looking furniture could be seen.

As she reached the plain, wooden door of her house that resembled the doors commonly seen in the outside world, the door opened itself despite Kochiya's hands not touching it. Most people would imagine that it was magic at work, but it wasn't.

Instead, the door was controlled by a computer system installed inside it. The computer was equipped with complex recognition system and logic gates to control its operation.

As soon as the door opened itself, what Kochiya saw made her surprised.

It was a woman wearing a mysterious, traditional clothing that somewhat resembled Kaguya's own clothing that covered her whole body to her leg. Her long, black hairs covered the back and reached her waist, but the most shocking thing was that there were stains of crimson red liquid on the ground.

The woman was speaking slowly, and she was speaking in a language that Kochiya could not understand at all.

"Yikes! Just who the hell is that, Sanae?!"

The surprised voice of Kawashiro Nitori could be heard. It appeared that she has also received the same information after being alerted by the AI of the house.

Kochiya simply lifted her shoulders and approached the woman. She was not a medical doctor by profession, but she could still give first-aid treatment to anyone due to her experience in the military.

Without hesitating, the greenhead carried the woman and brought her into the house while Kawashiro closed the door and followed suit.

 **Part 2**

The house belonging to Kochiya Sanae and Kawashiro Nitori was undeniably large for there were only two inhabitants inside it. The house had an underground basement where Kawashiro's room was located alongside a laboratory while the second level that was the highest level was where Kochiya's room was located.

It somehow mimicked their relationship back in Gensokyou where Kawashiro lived at the river at the foot of the mountain while Kochiya's Moriya shrine would be at the top of the mountain alongside the tengu's foothold.

Putting that aside, Kochiya's room was rather small for a large house. It was more like a single person dormitory in size, thus it gave a sense of an occupied room despite nobody inside it.

After placing the injured woman on the bed, Kochiya reached for the first aid kit located beneath her bed and quickly applied some medicine to the alien woman.

At the same time, Kawashiro closed the injury using her ability to manipulate blood flow of the woman and increased the flow of platelets of the woman to her injured parts. As the blood contained water and cells were flowing inside the liquid, she could manipulate the flow of cells inside someone's body using her ability as well.

After doing so, the light blue haired woman rushed out from Kochiya's room.

The woman coughed several times and struggled to breath for a few seconds before relaxing herself. Kochiya decided to hand the woman some water from an unopened bottle beside her bed and the woman drank it slowly and said something to her.

"….."

Kochiya did not speak any word, and the woman replied with a silence.

The greenhead was not a telepath; thus, she could not read minds. She couldn't comprehend the woman's words either and the same was true for the injured woman.

Five seconds later, Kawashiro returned with three hearing aid shaped devices in her hands.

The woman merely gave a confused look while Kochiya and Kawashiro wore it at their ears and installed the remaining one at her right ear.

"U-Um…testing, 1,2,3. Can you understand me now?" Kochiya spoke. "This is Kochiya speaking. If you can understand me, please nod. Thank you."

The woman nodded and looked at the hearing aid device at Kochiya's ear curiously.

It was not just a device for deaf people. It was a multi-purpose communication device that could also translate alien languages with ease. The device interpreted sound waves and converted it into comprehensible words that made sense to the listener. This was done by creating a connection between the machine and the brain through the nerves, and the machine would send interpreted information right towards the brain allowing for better understanding of alien languages.

It was undeniably a convenient device that could solve any translating needs of anyone.

"W-W-Whoa! Is this actually a translation device?" the woman finally spoke.

Kochiya and Kawashiro looked at each other, and turned their gazes towards the alien.

"Eh? What kind of human hasn't seen this device beforehand? This is actually pretty standard in this Sector."

Kochiya asked that as she was baffled upon witnessing the stranger's reaction towards the device.

And Kawashiro's response was frank yet sharp.

"Must be from a backwater colony somewhere near the Andromeda galaxy system. Perhaps a descendant of the failed colonizers sent by those third-rate planets that tried to colonize the worlds in Andromeda but ended up as failures. Anyone in this Sector will know what this thing is."

During the Great Quake that led to Atlantis' downfall, humanity abandoned the solar system and ventured into deep space with their various spaceships. These spaceships landed on different worlds at different locations allowing humans to settle down on various planets in space.

Of course, there were successful colonization programs and failed ones.

Some colonizers became successful such as the Tyradorians. But other colonizers weren't exactly faring well and some colonization programs by humanity failed due to various political and social issues.

Even among the successful colonizers, there were new challenges that awaited them.

Some planets were located close to hostile alien species that would frequently attack them. Some colonies were ravaged in various civil wars and interplanetary human conflicts. Other colonies however were just victims to unprecedented events.

Anyway, it wouldn't be surprising for humanity to have backwater civilizations in deep space without access to technology that could match or rival the Tyradorians. While humanity was known to be a dominant species in the galaxy, it did not imply that humanity was really in a better shape compared to other alien species.

In fact, some colonies were living in much poorer standards than the humans living during the Dark Ages due to civil wars and conflicts among themselves.

For that reason alone, the Confederation of Tyrador has always boasted itself as the only, true successor to Atlantis. Even other governments and planets colonized by humanity had given Tyrador the credit to its claim and recognized it as an absolute truth considering the prosperity Tyradorians have that surpassed Atlantis' standards of living. With this, the humans of the Sector eventually swore their loyalty to the Tyradorian administration as the ultimate ruler to unite mankind except for a few planets that were wary of their independence.

"Oh, well. I guess I should introduce myself to prevent any weird speculation about myself then," the stranger muttered. "I'm actually a lunarian."

Kochiya and Kawashiro stared curiously at the woman.

 _But there's no moon here_ , Kochiya thought.

There was no natural satellite orbiting Tyrador therefore the woman's answer only confused the two.

However, the stranger looked at the two women in admiration for a few seconds. The two women had saved her, and she was grateful for their aid. But that was not the only thing she admired about them.

(Such level of purity…we'd sell our souls to Hecatia if it means attaining absolute purity like these two.)

For the woman, Kawashiro and Kochiya were flawless beings without any slight taint of impurity. They were her ideal type of existence; the perfect pure beings void of the concept of life and death. She felt a sense of inferiority as she witnessed the two women staring right at her.

For eons lunarians had strived to attain perfect purity and even with the Brain of the Moon guiding them, they still could not reach that stage that was said to be the norm in Atlantis. For that reason, the lunarians secretly loathed themselves while using Earth as a scapegoat to channel their own frustrations for not being able to accomplish what Atlantis did.

Of course, most lunarians still think highly of themselves in comparison to current Earth society and had genocidal ambitions against all impurities on Earth. They held firm to the belief that they were the torchbearers of Atlantis and believed that Earth should restore its position as a Pure Land despite not having the means to replicate Heaven.

Yet, the woman was not one of those elitist lunarians. She was just a curious lunarian that wanted to learn and discover everything around her.

"A…lunarian?" the two asked again.

"Who are you again? There's no moon here…so from which planet's moon did you come from? Are you from this Sector? Or perhaps from Andromeda?" Kochiya pressed further.

"Just what kind of alien am I speaking to?" Kawashiro asked further. "Hello?"

"If you need to ask…I am Shirayuki, the youngest member of the Lunarian Association of Magicians. I am a nobility back in my world…"

"Huh?" Kochiya and Kawashiro muttered in unison.

Kochiya did not understand the meaning behind the woman's weird answer. Was there anything special about her? Even if there was, there was nothing special about a stranger that was lying with blood in front of her door.

Rather, her neighbors might assume that Kochiya had accidentally shot someone from the street and accused her of an attempted murder. That wasn't something that Kochiya would anticipate from anyone.

"Anyway…what's this 'Lunarian Association of Magicians' all about?" Kawashiro asked. "Please…don't tell this young woman that your organization is a type of religious cult organization that gathers around and do weird stuff, and you appearing with that injury in front of my house is an important sacrificial ritual for some weird things."

"I wouldn't want to be involved with some shady occult movement stuff…," Kochiya replied.

"E-EH! That's not it! We're in fact an organization of intellectuals that are doing research in various projects! A-A-Anyway!"

The lunarian named Shirayuki waved her hand as she tried to divert the topic.

"Yeah…anyway, how did you end with that wound and lying in front of my house?" Kawashiro interrupted. "Please don't tell me that you're actually playing a prank on us for a television show or an online video and there is a hidden camera recording us. I'm suing if that's the case."

"Why would I?" the lunarian replied. "I fell on the ground and rolled here."

The lunarian exhaled some air from her lungs and straightened her position.

"Fell on the ground?" Kochiya followed.

"I literally fell like a sandbag falling on the ground," the lunarian continued. "To avoid them from catching me, I rolled here intentionally to attract your attention and push them back."

If the lunarian was telling the truth, just who would really go that far just to hunt a woman?

And who was this woman that people were willing to assassinate her?

The wounds were very real, however what if she simply had the delusion of people chasing after her and injured herself in the process?

These were possibilities that had to be factored in.

 **Part 3**

Anyway, Kochiya Sanae and Kawashiro Nitori still had their reservations before buying Shirayuki's story.

Shirayuki somehow understood the atmosphere in the room. She knew that the two women were being skeptical about her story and decided to explain herself further.

But before the lunarian could do that, she had to know the place she was in.

She looked around the room she was in thoroughly.

That small, green room had a wardrobe, a study table and a mirror hanging above the table. On the table, there were various books ranging from academic books such as university-level physics and mathematics textbooks, some files related to Kochiya's professional responsibilities, novels and comic books. Besides that, there was a small picture of Kochiya and Kawashiro throwing their scrolls in their graduation robes with a purple-haired woman tied with white ribbon with glasses wearing a laboratory coat and formal attire standing between the two women with a smile.

(Where am I?)

The lunarian looked around and pressed the soft cushion of the bed.

It was soft enough that she felt comfortable just from lying on it. She might quickly sleep if given the opportunity to do so although she realized that it would be rude for her to do so.

"I have never heard of this so-called Lunarian Association of Magician that you identify yourself with. Just which backwater colony did you come from? Are you even from this Sector?" asked Kawashiro.

She had asked this before, but she felt an urge to gain more input from the woman.

"Sector?" the lunarian asked. The lunarian was confused since the two women had used the term 'Sector' whenever they asked for the place of her origin. As a complete outsider to the politics of the Tyrador Sector, Shirayuki could not comprehend the meaning behind their question.

"U-U-Umm…excuse me, but what exactly is this Sector you're talking about?"

Kochiya and Kawashiro stared at Shirayuki as if they had just heard a stupid question from a child.

Indeed, to anyone living in the Tyrador Sector it was foolish to ask the meaning behind that word. However, what would anyone expect from a complete outsider?

"Oi, oi. Don't try to make a funny joke with me…" Kochiya muttered. "Surely we're talking about this Sector…the Tyrador Sector."

"The…Tyrador…Sector?" Shirayuki followed slowly.

"Oh, come on! Don't play the fool with us. Just what kind of human doesn't know about the Tyrador Sector! It's obvious that your history teacher, geography and general knowledge teacher talks about the Tyrador Sector and this planet in particular, the Confederation of Tyrador."

Kochiya simply assumed that the lunarian was a native to the Sector, and thought that the lunarian was a dumb human.

"You know…this is the Confederation of Tyrador in the Tyrador Sector. The only successor to the civilization of Atlantis that was the origin of mankind and the beacon of civilization in the past. Don't they teach that in primary schools anymore?"

However, the lunarian's face turned from an expression of confusion to that of shock.

It was all because of that one word; Atlantis.

"Wait…so Atlantis actually existed? I thought that Atlantis was just a legend that has been buried with the creation of Heaven!"

The lunarian's response caused both Kochiya and Kawashiro to be even more confused.

"Heaven?" Kochiya asked. "What's that?"

"Really, a weird organization, a moon and now you're talking about heaven? Just what are you trying to convey?" Kawashiro continued.

Heaven was lifted after the demise of Atlantis, thus ordinary Tyradorians would be totally clueless about the existence of such realms. Moreover, if a Tyradorian's existence ends the soul would immediately perish into nothingness.

There was no such thing as an afterlife for the souls that were touched by the Psychic Curriculum Development Program.

"Wait. Is this really the successor to the legendary Atlantis?"

"Yeah, we told you. Even if you ask the dumbest people in this Sector, the answer remains the same. This is the Confederation of Tyrador, and you're an alien that appeared in front of my house out of nowhere."

Kawashiro was slowly getting annoyed at the lunarian's question and behavior.

"We lunarians thought that Atlantis was something mentioned only in our ancient history books about ancient Earth civilization. Long after the Great Quake that wiped off Atlantis by the lifting of the giant keystone named Heaven, Earth was void of life until life emerged from the seas. They evolved and competed for survival, thus bringing impurity to the land. As that happened, the founders of the lunar capital such as Lord Tsukuyomi and Lady Yagokoro left Earth for the moon, and colonized it to avoid the taint of impurity. That moon is where I come from."

"Wait- did you just talk about Terra and Terran history?" Kawashiro asked. "Don't tell me…are you a Terran?!"

To Tyradorians, Earth was known as Terra and Earthlings post Atlantis were referred to as Terrans. However, Tyradorians and other humans of the Sector disassociated themselves from Terrans and the solar system in general despite Earth being the origin of humanity.

"I'm a lunarian, coming from Earth's moon."

Kochiya grabbed the lunarian's hand and looked at her thoroughly.

"Wait…then you're from Luna?" the greenhead asked. "As in…the Terra's Luna? Have Terrans started their space exploration programs and recolonized Luna?"

Kochiya's excited expression made Shirayuki felt awkward, and the lunarian released her hand from Kochiya's grip.

"I see…so those Terrans are already starting to recolonize Luna and have rediscovered the concept of purity…but then, your understanding of purity is lacking since I can feel that disgusting taint of impurity within yourself."

Kochiya nodded after listening to Kawashiro's comment.

Somehow, Shirayuki felt as if she was looking at her fellow lunarians that would insult Earth's creatures and calling those creatures as vile filth.

To the perfectly pure Tyradorians, even lunarians were impure enough and some extremely conservative Tyradorians would call for Shirayuki's extermination just like how lunarians would call for the purification of Earth. Luckily, the extremist Tyradorians were no more than a few hundred people that were vastly outnumbered by the moderate Tyradorians.

"They're still millions of years behind us as a civilization," Kochiya replied. "Give it a break already."

"So…how did you get into this mess, Terran?" Kawashiro asked again.

"I have a name, it's Shirayuki! Call me Shirayuki. And I'm not an earthling, I'm a lunarian! We lunarians are not a colony of Earth humanity! For your information, we lunarians are way ahead of Earth, those Earthlings can barely travel to the moon!"

Shirayuki had her pride as a lunarian. She could never accept anyone telling her that the lunar capital was a colony of Earth humans, although Earth humans had already constructed a base and started the construction of a vacation hub at the scientific side of the moon.

"Mmm…even if you say that…" Kochiya responded. "This actually feels like a science fiction story. You know…the type of story where people from the Dark Ages suddenly appeared in the distant future and getting lost in the new world. That's how I see it right now."

Kochiya then giggled as something came into her mind.

 _I can finally quit my job and make billions by writing a story…ehehe._

It was an intriguing moment for the two women who apparently suffered from memory loss and thought that they were natural Tyradorians.

After all, it was unheard of lunarians and earthlings leaving the solar system in the modern age.

It was even more awkward for them to learn about beings from the solar system entering the Sector.

While there were some occasions where lunarians and earthlings popped up in the Sector, it was exceptionally rare. At most it was a once in a millennium event.

It was mostly due to the phenomenon known as 'spiriting away', a phenomenon where lunarians and earthlings became displaced from their original position due to quantum fluctuations in the region of space-time continuum causing them to pop up in unexpected places.

Normally, these humans and lunarians would end up at different places such as Higan, Heaven, Hell, the future, past or just another place. However, it was rare for them to pop up in a place as far as 127,000 light years from the solar system.

However, while lunarians were unable to capture the exact probability for this fluctuation to happen, Tyradorians had already devised the technology and method to prevent spirited-away beings from entering the planet unnecessarily.

This technology was named TyShield.

It was a protective barrier made with complicated defensive systems built by a combination of psionic and mundane technology. While it sounded extremely lame, its functionality far surpassed the boundary built by the lunarians by a huge margin. Even Yakumo Yukari or Watatsuki no Toyohime would find it impossible to manipulate Tyshield.

The barrier was created as a psionic barrier with supercomputers installed at various locations on the planet that performed calculations to prevent any breach of the barrier from the outside either through direct physical means or indirect means like teleportation. It consisted of two layers; a barrier of concept powered through psionic energy as its outermost and first layer and a layer of dense plasma that would burn anything in contact as the second layer. Anything that successfully penetrated the first layer would be turned into ashes upon contact with the second layer of the shield.

This prevented aliens from entering the planet as they pleased, and fended off spirited away beings at the same time.

Because of that, Shirayuki was an existence that surpassed common sense. In theory, she was not supposed to lie on Kochiya's bed with an injury.

The lunarian then continued.

"I travelled across the worlds using my spaceship, and I placed myself into a cryonic sleep. I don't quite remember the details, but it should have been over two hundred Earth years as I travelled to this Sector."

Kochiya narrowed her eyebrow as she heard Shirayuki.

"Oi, how did you get into this planet with a spaceship? Even worse, how is it possible for you to lie in front of my house like a damsel in distress?! You should have been arrested and interrogated by the Prosecutors' Office by now!" Kochiya shouted.

Other than Tyshield, there were numerous traps placed by the Prosecutors' Office which was the primary law enforcement agency of the Confederation (that was dubbed by many as the elite branch of the military with many Special Force operatives serving despite being a civilian law enforcement agency) and the military trying to snatch criminals and illegals that attempted to sneak into Tyrador.

These traps were sensitive enough to trigger the military's response even if something as small as a bird approached Tyrador. A primitive, giant spaceship would surely trigger the response of the Prosecutors' Office that was the law enforcement, intelligence, counter-intelligence and special operations agency of this planet.

Then, something came into Kochiya's mind.

Injury, illegal alien and being chased.

There was something fishy about the lunarian.

"Wait…does that mean that you're actually a fugitive running away from the prosecutors and the military?!" Kochiya asked loudly.

Kawashiro distanced herself.

"A-A-A f…fugitive?" the bluehead asked. "You mean, she's actually a criminal? Shouldn't we call the Prosecutors' Office then? I don't want to be indicted with the crime of harboring criminals in my house! That's equivalent of a hundred years in that hellish Matrix!"

The Matrix was the equivalent of Hell, where souls of criminals would be tortured with the worst form of punishment and torment for a certain period before being released back to the society. In all cases, those who had went through the Matrix ended up being broken down to the extent that they were in constant agony and fear; physically, mentally and spiritually.

The Confederation had no issues with breaking criminals and turning them into living corpses since criminals were considered as parasites with no human rights. This further discouraged ordinary Tyradorians from committing heinous crimes due to fear of such heavy punishment.

Due to that, Kochiya somehow kept an emotional distance from the lunarian.

"Quick, call Prosecutor Kotohime! I don't want to be caught as an accomplice to this madness!" Kawashiro exclaimed.

"Calm down, Nitori. You're overreacting," Kochiya replied.

Shirayuki continued.

"Perhaps that was the reason behind the attack launched against me."

Both Kawashiro and Kochiya reverted their gazes towards the lunarian.

"You mean…the prosecutors or the military might be the ones attacking you, right?" Kochiya asked.

As a former soldier (albeit reluctantly), Kochiya somehow could imagine the lunarian being shot down by a cloaked Tyradorian military weapon.

"I am uncertain about this…but my assailants were not humans."

Shirayuki's response changed the reaction given by Kochiya and Kawashiro.

"Not humans?" the duo asked. "Does this mean…a hostile alien species? But attacking a spaceship on Tyradorian space regardless of the spaceship's origin or nationality is an act of war against the Confederation! Only the Tyradorian military and the prosecutors' battleships can open fire in Tyradorian space. What kind of stupid alien species would dare to declare war against us?!"

There were instances of random alien species attacking the Confederation before only to have their civilizations reverted to Stone Age-like conditions, if not purely annihilated. As the most advanced civilization in the universe, there was none that dared to confront the Confederation even in deep space. It was unthinkable that any alien species would dare to encounter the Confederation in its main world, Tyrador.

"But my assailants were using magic! It was unlike anything I've seen before!" Shirayuki exclaimed.

Kochiya and Kawashiro narrowed their eyes and looked at each other.

They burst into laughter as soon as they heard the word magic.

That was all they did.

In this world where the supernatural could be explained through scientific equations, there was no room for the occult to exist. It was nice to entertain the idea of magic but this was not a land of fantasy. That was the cruel way of this scientific world that rejected the unscientific.

"Magic?" Kochiya asked. "Are you sure it's not some kind of psychic ability mistaken for magic? Magic does not exist!"

"Hey, Sanae. Let's just call Prosecutor Kotohime and get this bullshitting alien out of our house and send her to the Matrix."

The two women who lost their memories had completely rejected the existence of magic.

Yet, they weren't the ones at fault. This was the Confederation of Tyrador where psychic abilities could be developed and the supernatural could be explained purely through scientific means. Even things that seemed oddly supernatural such as the soul was scientifically justified, verifiable and testable using scientific experimental devices.

This was a world where supernatural abilities such as Pyrokinesis or Hydrokinesis could be developed through the Psychic Development Curriculum Program and not through some secret ritual with weird magic circle drawings or consuming inedible, poisonous mushrooms. The two women believed that Shirayuki had mistakenly said that psychic abilities were magic. Magic did not exist.

It would never exist in the world built on science. If there was no proof that magic existed, the two would wholeheartedly reject the notion of faith, magic and the occult.

In addition to that, the existence of magic would only contradict the motto of Tyradorian science that Kawashiro, as an engineer was proud of: To crush the occult with the knowledge of science.

"Magic exists!" Shirayuki protested. "Surely magic exists! Only idiots reject the existence of magic!"

The lunarian found it surprising that a civilization as advanced as Tyrador that had perfected the notion of purity was completely clueless about magic.

"Let's assume that magic exists," Kochiya replied. "For argument's sake."

"Let's assume?" Shirayuki answered. "What does that imply? You truly consider magic to be fake, don't you?!"

"Naturally! What you call 'magic' is nothing more than psychic abilities that have not been recorded down through scientific means! There is always a scientific explanation to everything! God? Allow me tell you what god and God is. It is a mere imagination of primitive beings that cannot explain the world around them using the laws of science. Wind god, earth god, fire god, sun god and all sorts of nonsense are the same! Mere human imagination that will fade without any faith!"

Kochiya raised her voice in annoyance. Living in a world of science for a hundred years and having studied Physics in her undergraduate years, she had completely been brainwashed by the notion of scientific rigor in everything. Even if Yasaka Kanako was standing in front the greenhead telling her that magic exists and she was a divine spirit, she would behave the exact same way as she would with the lunarian.

"How arrogant! There are always things that science cannot explain! Magic exists to fill that gap which science fails to explain!"

As a magician and a magical researcher, Shirayuki had pride in her magical knowledge. The lunarian could never accept anyone telling her that she was fake.

"Nonsense!" Kochiya replied. "Science is the ultimate explanation to everything! If magic is real, then prove it to me! Can you use any ability without undergoing our Psychic Development Curriculum?!"

 ** _"OF COURSE!"_**

Annoyed with the skepticism and hostility shown by Kochiya and Kawashiro, the lunarian accepted the challenge.

Noticing the spirit of Shirayuki as the lunarian defended the existence of magic, Kawashiro was truly annoyed. However, Kochiya somehow found the alien intriguing.

 _Perhaps magic is the one at the core of her heart just like how the God Killer is within the core of my own heart_ , Kochiya thought upon seeing Shirayuki's relentless reaction.

Shirayuki had relentlessly defended magic as if it was the truth. Perhaps she was telling the truth, but Kochiya and Kawashiro were simply rejecting her idea simply because it did not fit their 'scientific' views.

To be honest, the God Killer was something that could not be measured or detected by any scientific instrument. Yet it existed within Kochiya. Wouldn't that put her ability as an occult ability rather than a scientific one?

In other words, how could Kochiya arrogantly reject the occult when she was a part of the occult herself?

 **Part 4**

Without giving any chance for Kawashiro and Kochiya to prepare themselves, the already furious lunarian chanted something.

In response to the woman's chanting, a gentle blue flame emerged from her right palm. It wasn't large, but it was just enough to illuminate the room with its own light.

Yet, Kawashiro grinned.

"Heh, you spoke of magic as if you're a professional magician that could perform something huge but is this it? My self-made lighter can give out more flame than that sham of yours," Kawashiro replied.

She was as sarcastic as ever. The idea that Kawashiro believed herself to be superior to most people was incorporated within herself, and the Psychic Development Curriculum simply increased that elite mindset of hers. It was because her soul was developed to be extremely confident of herself to boost the output of her ability, but most people would perceive her actions to be extreme arrogance at times.

"This annoying bluehead…" Shirayuki muttered while biting her own lips.

The lunarian was restraining herself due to her injury, but at the same time was hesitating to take any hostile action since it was Kawashiro that had stopped her from losing more blood.

"Is that really magic? Or is it simply Pyrokinesis and you're chanting some words just to make it look like a magical thing?" Kawashiro continued.

Obviously, Kawashiro did not believe Shirayuki to be a legitimate magician.

"Calm down, the two of you…" Kochiya replied.

"Heh! Talking to aliens wouldn't help much but this place doesn't have any emphasis on religion, right?"

For some time, Shirayuki felt a void in her environment and looked at the two women she deemed as irreligious, atheistic people.

Officially, Tyrador was a world of agnostics and atheists and atheism was the official stance regarding spirituality in the planet. Religions were banned from practice in Tyrador and any religious movement would be immediately suppressed. Spiritual movements concerning meditation were allowed, but the idea of gods, saints or any mythical being would be tolerated with force by the government.

On the other hand, the lunarian magic system was something built with faith as its core foundation. Just like the dumbed-down magic practice in Gensokyou, the lunarian magic system is something built on religions such as Shinto and Buddhism which in turn was powered by faith. Therefore, lunarian magic was built on faith and would not work in the absence of faith.

It might be extremely heretic for Shirayuki to admit it publicly, but for the woman who had studied lunarian magic to the extent of not socializing with the other lunarians in her long life, she knew that lunarian magic was rather similar compared to the magic practiced on Earth.

The only reason lunarian magic stood superior to earth magic was due to the difference in the knowledge of science between the two worlds.

Magic required the knowledge of truth to function as magic was the study of the truth, just like science. Thus, it would be coherent and logical to note that someone who knew that the world was built on probabilities would have deeper understanding about the truth of the world named magic compared to someone who blindly believed in the Wu Xing without considering other possible elements of existence.

Because of that, her magic became substantially weaker in Tyrador since there was no religion or faith in the supernatural causing her magic system to fail instantaneously. She would be weakened if she visited the outside world due to the lack of faith but the level of her weakening increased exponentially the moment she entered the atmosphere of this planet built on science.

Leaving the theoretical aspects of magic aside, she was still injured. How could they expect an injured person to perform intensely potent magic?

Even so, Sanae looked at Shirayuki with a curious face.

"Was that really from magic?"

"Do you still not believe it?" the lunarian asked.

She was not a religious evangelist thus she had no reason to coerce anyone into believing in magic or her religion, Shinto. If the Tyradorians decided to reject her ability, then so be it.

That question came out spontaneously from Sanae's mouth, while Kawashiro Nitori looked at the greenhead with a vexed expression.

"Wait…you don't actually believe this fraud, right? That kind of small fire, even I could pull such tricks with using a bit of science and trick," muttered Nitori. But her words were in vain.

"Can you do that again?"

Kochiya Sanae had asked Shirayuki to perform the same trick she had done before. The lunarian found Kochiya's request amusing and casted the same spell again.

As the flame appeared in her palm, Sanae gently touched the fire.

Whoosh!

Kochiya's right hand touched the blue flame that was as hot as the core of the Sun directly, but there was no sign of burning on her fingers. The lunarian had controlled the flame so that the house would not be burned from the sheer heat of her flame, but still anything touching the flame would normally be reduced into nothingness.

Instead, the fire was immediately extinguished into nothingness like a magic show.

Shirayuki did not know how it truly happened but Kochiya Sanae wielded the God Killer.

An antithetical power to her former past as a living god serving two gods, it was a power that could erase the supernatural and destroy all miracles including the miracle of the omnipotent God.

In essence, it was the power to slay the true God.

"Oh, it disappeared?" Nitori muttered. "At least, that thing is supernatural."

Finally, the blue-haired woman accepted the fact that magic existed although she was somewhat disappointed.

While Nitori could only look and nod as she realized that Shirayuki was a real magician (despite remained unimpressed by the woman's magic tricks), Sanae was impressed as she had seen magic for the first time in her life since the day she woke up in the hospital bed without any recollection of herself.

"IS THAT REALLY MAGIC?" Sanae asked enthusiastically. "COOL! THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I HAVE SEEN MAGIC IN MY LIFE!"

Magic has always been something that was frequently discussed in the Tyradorian media as a form of entertainment, where 'magicians' would be pitted against psychics only to be branded as 'fraudulent' and 'inferior'. In fact, most of the information in the media regarding magic were outright false and biased. Despite the vicious attacks from the media regarding magic, Sanae remained fascinated by the idea that there was another method of performing the supernatural besides the scientific Psychic Development Curriculum done by Tyrador.

"Just how many times have I tried to convince you that magic exists?" said Shirayuki in a tired fashion as she straightened her legs' position. "You should listen to me since I am five thousand earth years old."

Despite her claim of being five thousand years old, her facial expression as she finished her sentence was childish and immature as she made an inflated cheek and a cute 'Unnn' sound. It was the result of being secluded from social interactions in pursue of her academic interests, although originally it was her parents that had raised in that manner.

As the result of poor parenting and Shirayuki's own twisted belief, she did not know the proper method of communicating with other people despite known as a genius that only a few like the Brain of the Moon could exceed her intellect.

Due to that reason, she was often considered as a brat among lunarians despite her position as a lunar sage and a noble.

But as a sage, she could not help but to be curious with the green-haired woman standing before her. Her magic flame, while seemingly weak was carefully summoned after some alterations from a divination spell and an elemental manipulation spell. It combined the element of fire from Japanese, Chinese and Western magic systems and mixed it the divination format of Amaterasu Ookami and Gion. It was something she learnt from analyzing Watatsuki no Yorihime's divination patterns after seeing the Watatsuki casting it during a mock battle between lunarian soldiers for only one time.

If she had used it at the lunar capital, it would easily release flames as hot as the core of the Sun that not even Hecatia could handle despite being the ruler of Hell. Only Amaterasu Ookami, the goddess that rule the sun that powered Hell could manage. But, since Tyradorians did not believe in Amaterasu and Gion the output of her magic dropped significantly.

Even so, how could someone just erase her flame by touching it?

Because of that, she found the woman's ability intriguing and terrifying at the same time. It was obvious from her grim look at Sanae's right hand.

Realizing that the lunarian was looking at her arm, Kochiya opened her mouth.

"Oh, this?" Kochiya asked. "This is my ability. It is called the God Killer. It can dispel any supernatural ability ranging from the most stupid psychic attack to the power of the omnipotent God. Well, at least that's what I know."

Shirayuki sniffed at the greenhead.

"You're an atheist that rejects God, yet you claim that you can kill the omnipotent? You're a heretic. Back in my world, Lord Tsukuyomi would have executed you under the crime of heresy. Although Lady Yagokoro would most likely chop that hand for research. That power will definitely be able to nullify the curse of the Hourai elixir and kill the immortals of Hourai for good."

As a magician, she could at least assure that much capability from the God Killer after seeing how easily it negated her spell.

But for someone who lost her memories, Kochiya Sanae did not understand anything nor recognized anyone Shirayuki mentioned.

"Sanae's practically different from the rest of us," Kawashiro continued. "Her ability basically nullifies every supernatural ability she come across but she can't use normal psychic abilities like we psychics do. For instance, this…"

As she said that, Shirayuki's body levitated against her will.

"Telekinesis?" the lunarian asked. "Wait…you can also use telekinesis in addition to blood flow manipulation?"

Kawashiro nodded and gently placed the woman back on Kochiya's bed.

"Telekinesis is a basic ability to all psychics. But Sanae can't do it despite undergoing the same Psychic Development Curriculum like us and having that power. So, I don't really know what that power really means."

It seemed that even Kawashiro was secretly concerned about the identity of the God Killer. If science wasn't enough to explain her ability, would magic be the alternative solution to science?

"Unfortunately…I have no idea about that thing either," Shirayuki replied. "This is my first time seeing that ability."

"I see…" Kawashiro answered.

"Anyway, you said that you were being pursued. Surely there is no way that you can go for now, right?" Kochiya asked.

"Ah, you're worried about that?" the lunarian replied in a melancholic tone. "I'll leave. If I stay, both of you will be in trouble for housing an illegal alien. I wouldn't want to create unnecessary trouble to the people who helped me."

"HEY!" Kawashiro Nitori shouted. She felt a sense of guilt after listening to Shirayuki's words.

After all, she was the one who suggested that Shirayuki be handed to the prosecutors. However, if there were alien magicians hunting her, then it would cause another set of trouble that could not be resolved by simply handing her the authorities.

"Why don't you just stay with us for the time being? I'm positive that we can settle this somehow…those prosecutors aren't exactly that cruel. Especially that maniac Kotohime."

For unknown reasons Kawashiro Nitori laughed after hearing the name Kotohime.

"We can actually talk with her and ask her to make special arrangements to send you back to your home world," Sanae persuaded.

The greenhead simply wanted to lend a hand as she pitied the woman. Yet she was also curious about magic, thus she had wanted the lunarian to stay so that she could learn more about magic.

"If that's the case, then will the two of you be okay to follow me to the point of no return?" the lunarian asked.

She sounded serious, sad yet somewhat melancholic.

Both Kochiya and Kawashiro realized that the lunarian was not joking. There might be real assassins or anyone hunting her and in the worst-case scenario, something bad might happen to all three of them.

"If that's how you're going to put it then it gives me more reason not to let you walk around freely outside!" Kochiya shouted.

"Just stay there and don't even think of standing up. You might reopen the wounds that I've closed," Kawashiro continued.

"Anyway…aren't we actually running out of time?" Kochiya asked as she remembered something.

Kawashiro Nitori realized something as well.

The routine psychic development program. They were supposed to go to their alma mater for their regular development program and to allow their developer to monitor the progress of their psychic abilities.

"Yikes! The development program! How can I forget about that! She will cut our brains open!"

The clueless lunarian coughed and gave a dazzled look as she observed Nitori and Sanae panicking.

"We have our routine psychic development program today! How can we forget that?!" Kochiya shouted. "Seriously, we really need to go now…but will it be okay to leave you alone here?"

(Psychic development programs…a scientific method of creating supernatural phenomenon? The outside world has reportedly attempted to research on psychic abilities after abandoning magic but I thought it was ridiculous.)

For the lunarian, she had never expected psychic abilities to be independent from magic and faith. But witnessing everything today, she learned something new that she would never realize in the lunar capital.

Shirayuki had left the solar system two centuries ago in the name of space exploration (despite it being a mainly self-declared program without permission from the government).

She has not heard of Project Stargate that was conducted during the Cold War, Usami Sumireko or the likes of modern Earth psychics appearing from the void of religion and faith.

Shirayuki could only sigh as she realized her current situation. She doubted that her healing magic would work in a world where her magic has been weakened by several magnitudes. Of course, it was impossible for her to be admitted to a Tyradorian hospital since she was not a legal citizen of Tyrador.

 _Such misfortune_ , the lunarian whispered to herself.

She had said that in a frustrated manner upon realizing her powerlessness. She knew that at that moment she was under the mercy of two humans that she met less than an hour.

"Don't think too much about it" Kochiya said. "…I'm sorry for not being able to provide you with breakfast but there should be something edible in the fridge that I can prepare for you. The house security mechanism is also up-to-date. I'm not really sure about magicians but I'm positive that your pursuers will not find you here."

Sanae had said that so confidently despite knowing nothing about the system named magic and Nitori merely nodded in agreement.

Both Kochiya and Kawashiro were still deeply rooted in their faith towards science and its wonderfulness. Perhaps they believed that their science could fend off the attacks of those using the knowledge of the occult.

Shirayuki who knew that she would be left alone for a while turned her attention at the books on the table.

"Erm…can I have a look at those books? They seem interesting," asked the lunarian politely.

Kochiya merely picked up some books that she thought appropriate for the lunarian (as there were documents related to her work and those were confidential documents) and handed it to her.

For Shirayuki, if she had to spend her time alone it was best to spend it with some reading.

 **Part 5**

If there was anything that became the Confederation of Tyrador's pride, it was the large number of research institutions that were constantly competing to produce the best of the best in the world, and the high-quality education provided by educational institutions that were heavily subsidized by both the public and private sector.

All educational institutions in Tyrador existed for three main purposes; research, education and psychic power development. All three main objectives of educational institutions were regarded as equal in importance. Hence universities and schools received large endowment from the government, financial institutions and large corporations to run the state-of-art facilities meant for all three purposes.

After all, scientific research institutions were undoubtedly the frontline of this world as the main contributors to scientific and technological advancement.

Universities and schools were generally located close to residential areas to ease students' and residents' mobility between the two places. It was unlike the metropolitan area of Tyrador that was considerably much further to residential areas to Earth standards (far enough that 21st century Earth humans would need a plane to reach those cities in an hour or two from residential areas).

An interesting thing to note was that some universities were extremely close to residential areas that it took less than a few seconds of walk to reach from those places considering that Tyradorians could cover large distances over a short period.

Among those competing institutions, there was a certain university named the Tyrador Institute of Science and Technology, better known as TIST. The university named TIST (where Kawashiro Nitori and Kochiya Sanae were once students majoring in engineering and physics) was undoubtedly one of the top universities in the planet and subsequently the universe. The annual admission rate of this university was 0.1% or only 1,000 students out of a million applicants that were eligible for enrolment.

Originally, TIST was a purely a trade school that produced highly qualified and skilled people in the field of applied engineering fields but it has since become the center of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) field in Tyrador with top-class researchers, research projects and education.

Of course, other than the university itself the competitiveness of TIST students were beyond ordinary. The simple proof of this could be seen from the sheer number of TIST alumni became successful in their career lives or psychic lives.

If there was a parallel of TIST on Earth it would be the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) located at Cambridge, United States.

In a certain psychic development laboratory inside the university, Kochiya and Kawashiro were seated beside each other. They had been inside the laboratory for almost ten hours by now with their bodies and souls thoroughly scanned for any new power or anything worth reporting for the sake of the Curriculum.

Besides that, they had been going through some manual power testing procedures such as being blindfolded and forced to walk through a dark region while guessing the objects around them. It was in fact a test for Clairvoyance and they failed miserably. They were also forced to find some objects while being blindfolded, and the result was pathetic and embarrassing enough for anyone to witness.

They were even worse than a blind man without a cane. They kept colliding against the wall and against themselves and fell on the ground.

"This is the reason I hate psychic development activities," Kawashiro grumbled.

From the expression of her face, it was obvious that she was annoyed and worn out from the intense check-ups and the ridiculously embarrassing activities she was doing.

"You had it tough…" another woman interrupted.

The person sitting at Kochiya's right was a female persona with long, black hairs and distinct yellow eyes that was almost golden in color. She was wearing a black coat that covered her bright red dress shirt and her long, navy blue pants and leather shoes.

Her name was Jade, and she was a close friend of both Kochiya Sanae and Kawashiro Nitori. Therefore, the two women weren't without anyone else.

"Heh, it is always difficult for me," Kochiya complained.

Well…at least she didn't force you to take the Future Steiner test," Jade replied. "You would be dead if she forced you to take that test."

Kochiya and Kawashiro immediately paled at that idea.

The Future Steiner test was a test of reading the future with a hundred percent accuracy.

It might sound rather unscientific and inclined towards divinations, fortune telling and fraud. Indeed, for eons the occult has always claimed the ability to predict the future or something related to it such as having a vision of the future or being able to predict fortune and luck.

However, the Future Steiner was a legitimate psychic power in Tyrador and a rarity, on top of that.

Since the future was built on probabilities, any attempt to accurately predict the future was nothing short of a tough job. Because of that, that task was something preferably left to the supercomputers that could process infinite number of information within instants that not even Sakuya or Kaguya could measure.

"Man…wouldn't that put us in a tough spot?" uttered Nitori. She then sighed lazily and waved her right hand. "Rather than wasting my precious time to do this nonsense, I wanna go home."

Even Kawashiro Nitori, a psychic found the idea of Future Steiner terrifying. She wanted to avoid herself from doing that meaningless test by any means possible.

Well, there was Shirayuki laying down inside her home so there was another reason for Kawashiro to return home as quickly as possible.

"Says a power user like yourself," Sanae replied.

The greenhead had purposely replied in an especially annoyed manner to gain attention.

"What about people _without any talent_ like me?"

Her pessimistic tone would raise sympathy from many people.

"But you do have talent. It's just…not as obvious as our talents," Jade muttered.

Kochiya looked down as she understood what her friend meant.

The God Killer.

Kochiya wielded the power to kill God. But it wouldn't raise give her the edge in career life, help her in her absolutely zero-experience romantic life, give her money for free or grant her supernatural abilities that other people in Tyrador would normally possess.

She wouldn't even be able to use weapons that most Tyradorians could use and her experience in the military had been a hellish one due to that. At times, she wondered if she was truly suited to be in the competitive world of Tyrador that hailed extremely powerful psychics as gods that were meant to be omnipotent and ignored the existence of people without abilities.

If the likes of Kawashiro was a genius among 50,000 geniuses, then she would be the ultimate misfortune among 1 trillion misfortunes that even Kagiyama Hina would lose her position as a goddess of misfortune if pitted against that greenhead.

"If only I was just like other people…" the greenhead grumbled. "Such misfortune…"

Hearing Sanae's complaint, Nitori and Jade glared at the greenhead with their eyes directed sharply at the girl's green iris.

Sanae understood the glare.

It was the glare of ' **Shut up or we'll punch you!** '

"Right, so stop your nonsensical argument and look here," muttered another voice.

The voice interrupted the three women and ended their small talk immediately.

* * *

 **Author's note: Finally, managed to alter bits and pieces of this story. Well, the plot is the same but the story line will be a bit longer. Actually, I should appreciate MappleFruits for the inspiration from his story as well. (Oh, MappleFruits is also writing a story about the Moriya shrine, so if you're a fan of Kanako or Suwako you may want to read his story). Thanks for your time!**


	3. Chapter 2: Science Worship

**Chapter 2: SCIENCE_WORSHIP**

 **Part 1**

Asakura Rikako.

She was a woman that was wearing the stereotypical dress of a scientist; a laboratory coat, long black pants, black polished shoes, glasses and a long black necktie. Her hair was purple, and so was her eyes.

Kochiya Sanae, Kawashiro Nitori and Jade merely stared at the scientist that interrupted their small talk. She was the one responsible for developing the three women as a researcher and a power developer.

Even at the best university in the Confederation, there was always a few wonders that would be the gossiping material for students and outsiders alike. Asakura Rikako was one of them.

It was known that Asakura Rikako was the youngest person to obtain a doctorate in the university and was honored with the Hyllbill prize (one of the most prestigious scientific research award equivalent that was equivalent to the Nobel prize on Earth) for her discovery during her doctorate studies.

Naturally, she became the youngest professor to work in the university and the sheer accomplishment she made in her resume made her stand out compared to her fellow colleagues in her department. She gave the vibe of a respected researcher in the university.

Despite the seemingly elite accomplished scientist, the trio's relationship with that scientist went beyond the relationship of a developer and test subjects; she was also their former lecturer and someone closely related to their personal lives.

"Umm…the check-up is finished for today," the scientist muttered.

Asakura lifted her eyes from the delicate amount of data recorded on her computer screen and stared at the three women.

The three women exhaled in relief. Perhaps the idea of being liberated from being scrutinized by machines and weird experiments was enough to recharge their low spirits.

"Anyway…there is something you must do before leaving. It's just a usual routine stuff, so don't think too much about it."

As the scientist said that, she walked towards the three students of hers and handed each of them a piece of paper.

Kawashiro merely released out a long sigh after seeing the paper.

"A questionnaire?"

"Your power development program for this month ends today. But, before I can let you guys run away, I would like to ask all of you to answer these questionnaires as a reference for my next session."

 _Well…nothing really change even though I keep answering this continuously every month_ , Kawashiro thought.

The questionnaires were simply questions about current psychological and emotional health, diet, any tendency of excessively consuming anything, current sexual life or inclination and all sorts of questions involving mental and physical health. It was as ordinary as pamphlets that hospitals or clinics would hand during a physical examination session.

It was made as a guide for the scientist to better prepare for the next development program session.

"But prof~ is there any insurance that the information given would be helpful for the next session?" asked Nitori.

The bluehead asked the question intentionally to provoke the scientist. To Nitori, such questionnaires were literally meaningless.

Yet, Kawashiro was not entirely wrong.

Of course, collecting information from questionnaires as a reference for future check-ups can be inefficient since things might change in the future. For instance, a non-smoker might be a smoker in the future, and a smoker might quit smoking in the future. Thus, collecting current information as a gauge for future researches were somehow ineffective and flawed in methodology.

However, the scientist still did it purely out of her own whimsical ideas.

"Oh?" the scientist muttered. "Nitori, you don't have to answer if you refuse to. But you'll be doing the Future Steiner test with me instead."

The scientist merely gave a business-like smile of a salaryman government scientist and educator.

Yet to Nitori, beneath the scientist's smile was a hidden threat. It was terrifying enough that it made Nitori's heart shiver.

"Ugh!" the bluehead shouted. "Isn't that the test where we have to predict the future?! NO! NEVER! I remembered spending the whole night in your house just to complete that ridiculous test!" the light-blue haired woman protested.

Some terrible memories started to pop-up from her mind regarding the experiment and she trembled for a few seconds.

It was a complete disaster and was an experience she did not particularly enjoy despite being someone with talent.

Kochiya and Jade chuckled for a few seconds as they witnessed Nitori's reaction. It seemed that they knew what was on Nitori's mind.

Yet, there was something completely different on their minds.

"UHOHOHOHOHO! Do you see what I see, Sanae?" said Jade frantically.

A sinister grin was carved on Jade's face and the woman turned her attention to Sanae.

In response to that, Sanae reacted as if she had obtained a telepathic ability. There was no word muttered, no clue given and no information required for Kochiya to fathom what Jade was saying.

Even without Jade saying anything, Kochiya nodded and pointed at Kawashiro Nitori.

"This…yes, this is undoubtedly the absolute proof that Professor Rikako sees you more than just a student, Nitori!"

Kawashiro blushed as she heard Kochiya's ridiculous statement. The light-blue haired woman opened her mouth but was unable to speak any word.

Instead, she clenched her fist in reaction to Kochiya's word while suppressing herself.

"Indeed…who wouldn't be in love with someone with such an innocent-looking, adorable face…Look at that, Sanae! Even her reactions are cute!" Jade continued.

Jade almost pinched Kawashiro's cheek but decided not to.

The two women continued to tease Kawashiro Nitori.

Nitori almost shouted but she managed to withhold everything within herself. She seemed like a typical tsundere that was being exposed by someone else.

"Hoho…looks like I've hit the critical point!" Jade continued. "I did it! I have exposed Kawashiro Nitori!"

Jade continued while ignoring Nitori's tightly clenched fist. Nitori's fist could have landed somewhere around Jade or Sanae.

Yet it was just an uncertain somewhere because Nitori was not the type to simply attack someone without any proper reason. If Kawashiro was serious enough, the two women would be running hastily for their lives

"Damn you two, can't you actually feel the evil aura emitted from Prof's twisted smile?" asked Nitori. The woman sounded like an injured person resisting the feeling of pain.

However, the two women shook their heads and grinned.

Instead, they replied: "This will give you extra points, Nitori! Yeah, extra experience points for the day when you finally become one with him."

"Shut up, you filthy-minded virgins! You idiots aren't just herbivores, you guys are omnivorous!" the lonely woman defended herself. "I don't want to hear virgins that had never been in any relationship telling me about experience points or anything twisted like that."

"Oh, you're not denying our main point, though. You do feel that you can gain experience points for the time the two of you are united in celebration, pleasure, and pain."

Kochiya continued to tease her housemate. It seemed that the greenhead found satisfaction in doing that.

But this time, Kawashiro's face immediately turned bright red. It was impossible for Kawashiro to hide her embarrassment and her mixed feelings of pleasure and anger and thus she shouted.

"WHAT?! And what do you mean by becoming one with him?" Kawashiro asked furiously. "Who's HIM?!"

"He who must not be mentioned," Sanae replied. "Oh, and do I need to give any further elaboration on what _becoming one_ means? This virgin knows nothing about that topic from a romantic point of view~! Although from a biological point of view…it is crucial for the continuation of our species."

Jade followed by laughing naughtily as she enjoyed watching Nitori's expression as the latter suppressed her pool of emotions.

"U-Um…the first alphabet of his name is H- "

Kawashiro immediately grabbed Jade's mouth with her two hands. The bluehead could no longer hold back any longer.

"Now, you shut up! Or else I'll manipulate your blood flow, torture you slowly and give you a painful death before crushing that useless soul of yours!"

Jade struggled as she removed Nitori's tightly gripped hands on the woman's mouth and slapped the floor like a wrestler that was surrendering to an opponent.

"Professor! Nitori is not answering the question! She's currently assaulting Jade!" Sanae shouted while raising her right hand.

She was no different from a primary school student that was complaining about how a friend was doing mischief.

"Shut up, you mad, unlucky virgin! There's a reason you don't have any supernatural ability after all!" Kawashiro retorted.

After that, she released Jade that was beneath her mercy and the latter coughed for a few seconds and attempted to control her erratic breathing.

"Just stop it, the three of you. You guys are acting like children," complained the scientist.

The three women stopped after the scientist gave her decree like children who were forced to stop after a teacher intervened in a fight.

Indeed, the scientist named Professor Asakura Rikako was not just a theoretical physicist and a power developer. She was also a beloved parent-like figure to all three of them and was their lecturer as well with Sanae spending more time in her lecture classes since she was a Physics major. Other than that, the three women truly respected the scientist deep in their hearts despite their seemingly rude and casual manner of interacting with the scientist.

"OIIII! DON'T FREAKING CHANGE THE TOPIC, WILL YOU?!" Kawashiro then shouted.

Nitori's dissatisfaction could be heard throughout the chilly, air-conditioned facility.

The scientist sighed, while Jade giggled.

"Calm down, Nitori. We were just teasing you and mean no harm. Seriously, you need some tranquilizers just now…Or perhaps, should I chant a magic spell to calm you down?" replied Sanae.

The greenhead pat Nitori's head gently as she moved her fingers through Nitori's soft, blue hairs with her right hand. For some reason, the greenhead felt comfortable doing it and continued for a few minutes.

"And how exactly are you going to use magic? Do you even know how to use magic? Even if you do, how are you going to use it especially with that weird ability of yours?" Nitori asked in response.

It was yet another brilliant question.

Wouldn't the God Killer nullify any type of magic spell within less than an instant?

However, the scientist Asakura Rikako immediately interfered in their discussion. She appeared to be restless as the scientist folded her arms.

"Prof?" Kochiya asked. She was aware of her professor's change in posture.

"The two of you speak as if you have witnessed magic before with your naked eyes."

Jade, a psychic immediately agreed with Rikako's statement and nodded.

Most psychics in Tyrador only knew of magic through the mass media. Because of that, their assessment of magic was in fact flawed and biased.

Despite that, Asakura Rikako was not in the group of the majority that only knew magic from the mass media. Of course, she kept this a secret from her students, colleagues and literally almost everyone in her Tyradorian life.

"Prof, I know you're one of the hardcore scientists in Tyrador who rejected religion…but do you believe in magic?"

That question asked by Nitori petrified Rikako for a few seconds.

The scientist that could usually explain even the most difficult theories in science with ease was struggling to open her mouth.

It was very likely that she was trying to find a neutral answer to the question. An answer that would not reveal herself yet gave a satisfactory answer to her student.

"I believe in magic."

The room fell into silence as they heard the scientist's answer.

"You know what? Magic, religion, gods and other stuff that people usually view as the occult. Those things certainly exist."

Hearing such answer, the three looked at each other in amazement and confusion. It was an answer that none of them had expected from a reputed scientist.

It was not known which emotion was the dominant one.

"However…" Rikako continued, "I do believe that their existence can be explained through science as well. In fact, I did some simulations of magic and managed to write down some mathematically proven equations that can hopefully explain the occult from a scientific point of view."

There was not a single bit of hesitation from the scientist's words. It did not seem like she was lying.

 _Scientific magic?_ Kochiya thought.

To prepare a scientific basis behind magic was not an ordinary feat and ordinary claim. If Asakura's claim was true, then the whole magic-worshipping universe would crumble apart and science would truly rule supreme as magic would be absorbed as a branch of science and not its own independent field.

"Then…is this actually magic development programs in disguise?" asked Jade curiously. "Who knows…the government might have discovered a way to produce magicians through scientific means and deceived the public by saying that this is a psychic development program," she continued.

Jade's reasoning was logical. There might be a secret cover-up planned by the Confederation that was anti-religion and anti-occult.

However, Rikako responded by laughing cheerfully.

She found Jade's idea hilarious enough.

As a scientist, she understood the difference between the occult and the rational.

"Of course not, silly. Psychic abilities were never part of the magical. This is still part of Hard Science, not the occult. After all, occultism exists with the rise of religions, and there is no religion in Tyrador but science."

Even on Earth, Sumireko could use her abilities freely without any restriction.

Indeed, Sumireko's abilities were supernatural but they could still be explained through the lens of science vaguely due to Earth's primitive understanding of science. Unfortunately, the human was dissatisfied with the limitation of Earth's science and thus pursued the occult. At the end, her own curiosity led her to discover the orbs and Gensokyou.

"Anyway, why are you asking about magic? Did you happen to accidentally encounter a magician?" asked Jade again. She turned her attention to Kawashiro Nitori. "You guys are talking about something that exists in novels and dramas. That's very unlike the two of you."

Nitori and Sanae that were both flabbergasted by Jade's random question merely replied by saying: 'Ah, it's just a hypothetical question!'

Jade merely sighed in disappointment. The woman thought that she might be able to see a real magician anytime soon.

The scientist however giggled for a moment as she noticed Jade's expression. A few seconds later, the scientist quickly regained her serious mood.

"After finishing your questionnaires, you're dismissed. That's it."

With that said, Rikako gave a long sigh.

(I guess being a teacher is a tough one, especially when your students never seem to grow up.)

 **Part 2**

The scientist was alone in the cold psychic laboratory room filled with crude machines. Her three students and test subjects figures had already left the room, so it was her time to relax before leaving her workplace as well.

She loosened her neck tie and untied her hair, and looked at the clock.

It was already 6:30 p.m. at that time. Even she wanted to leave as soon as possible and get some rest for the day.

Even though she was not the test subject, being a power developer was a tiring job. There were always a lot of analysis, trial-and-error, theoretical discussions among fellow developers, and other things just like what scientists from other fields did. In addition to that, she was also a lecturer and had to prepare for her lecture classes.

Nevertheless, she enjoyed her job. The pay was exceptionally lucrative and the satisfaction she earned from doing experiments never seem to fade. The law of diminishing marginal utility did not apply to this scientist when science was involved.

However, there was something that truly bothered her mind.

It was not the data in front of her nor was it the progress of her students as psychics.

But it was the simple question that Kawashiro Nitori asked that made her restless.

 _Do you believe in magic?_

Why would someone even ask that question? And why would anyone with talent bother with magic?

To that woman, she truly held firm to the faith that science was superior to magic and psychic ability was better than magic spells.

Psychic abilities were the abilities of people bestowed with talent. However, magic was something that the untalented such as herself studied to accomplish what the talented could do.

Namely, to perform supernatural feats.

However, there was something else that went on her mind as she remembered something about magic and smiled.

"…How nostalgic."

She had never encountered magicians after arriving in the Confederation. Thus, it gave her a sense of peace since she could focus on developing her career as a full-blown scientist without idiots or unwanted beings such as Mima or Reimu disturbing her various research projects.

It was also on that fateful day that she was given the chance to pursue science to its fullest.

Anyway, it was an opportunity that most people would not even have. Therefore, she felt blessed in a way and was proud of her decision.

Her situation was somehow like a hermit that was permitted to enter Heaven after years of intense training to cheat death, escape the kishin and punishment from Hell. Entering Tyrador and becoming a Tyradorian scientist was the real deal to her.

Here, she could enjoy a perfect life after leaving the infinitely inferior Earth.

Nevertheless, there were times when she would feel a tinge of nostalgia as she recalled her memories from living on Earth. The land of fantasy would sometimes linger in her mind when she was not doing her research, teaching students or occupying herself with various activities.

 _Those idiots are most likely dead by now_ , she thought.

Flashes of people from the Human Village and acquaintances she made from her various experiments and adventures came into her mind. There was a college professor who attempted to study magic in a scientific manner. There was a young shrine maiden who was being nosy about everything. There was an annoying vengeful spirit that was in her way of research.

"Ah…how nice."

But she immediately removed that thought that would make her head explode at any time.

At the end, she stretched her hands and relaxed herself before arranging some documents on her table.

She had decided to move on and decided to forget the distant past. After all, she was worn out from the tiring experimentations and she did not want to add any burden to her mind by thinking about the past.

 **Part 3**

Under the sunset, Kochiya, Kawashiro and Jade were walking together as they headed home.

Kochiya loosened her neck tie, Kawashiro folded her sleeves and exposed her elbows and Jade simply walked with both her hands located inside the pocket of her pants.

However, Jade was not your typical average career woman you'd find on Earth. She was not exactly the polite woman you'd find every day.

For the two women that knew Jade ever since they started living on this planet, they knew that Jade was certainly unlike what most people would guess from her soft, polite and beautiful face. The proof of their knowledge could be seen at that time.

The woman named Jade closed her eyes and inhaled some fresh air. The road where the three women walked along was absurdly clean and there was no rubbish or leaf on the road. The trees moved gently as they were blown by the breeze.

A few seconds later, Jade opened her eyes slowly. Yet somehow, she opened it so slowly like a heroine in movies that has awakened.

She gave a vibe of someone who had just attained enlightenment. Hijiri Byakuren might be compelled to think of her as a Buddha if she witnessed Jade right then.

Kochiya swallowed her saliva as she witnessed her friend's transformation with a cold sweat dripping from her forehead.

"I have just received a revelation from the Magna," Jade muttered. "Kufufufufu~!"

 _Oh great. Here comes the alter-ego Jade that is soo fascinated of the nonexistent, self-created identity named Magna_ , Kawashiro mumbled.

Of course, the bluehead kept her thoughts to herself.

In the Tyradorian language, Magna was a word meaning great. It was rather a self-made character that appeared in Jade's mind ever since she read a certain light novel and she hasn't moved over it since.

Even if Jade lost all her memories, she would still be able to create another Magna in her mind. That was how fanatical the woman was to her own self-made character.

"Shut up, Lunatic Engineer! I know exactly what you're thinking…you're again rejecting the will of Magna!" Jade shouted. "Magna is displeased with your continuous rebuttal and rebuke of His will!"

She then laughed like a third-rate villain.

"The Magna has given me, the Super Hacker the right to change the ruling structure of the omniverse! HAHAHAHAHA!"

The woman named Jade then moved her arms apart from each other and looked at the sunset.

"I am the Super Hacker, the one who brings chaos to the omniverse and ends all evil! The omniverse and all of it is in my mind! I will change the foundation of everything! GUAHAHAHAHA!"

Normally, Kochiya would join in as a fellow idiot but today was an exception to the greenhead.

"Wait…what is Magna telling you?" Kochiya asked. "Just what is going on in that head of yours~?"

"Hmm…that is very unlike you, Mad Scientist! I, the Super Hacker Jade has received a revelation from the Magna. From the revelation given by Him, it seemed that the Society is up to no good once again."

Again, the Society was another fictional organization that Jade had created in her mind.

"The Society doesn't know the meaning of giving up…unless the goal of omniversal domination is accomplished, that damned organization will continue its wicked plans. This time, the Society plans to cause a calamity that will shake the entire omniverse while sparing nobody other than themselves. While everyone is in chaos, the Society will seize power and become the ultimate, eternal ruler."

This time, Kawashiro turned her gaze towards Kochiya.

"Thus, only I can stop the Society's wicked plans as I receive the divine blessings of the Magna…Kufufufufu!" Jade continued. "Magna has commanded me to study magic as only the one who masters both science and magic can stand in the Society's plans for absolute domination."

 _Oh crap_ …thought Kawashiro.

(Just who the hell gave her such a crappy idea, to begin with?)

Kochiya stared right at Kawashiro's eyes and moved her fingers ever so slightly. For outsiders, Kochiya's fingers were moving in a merely strange manner.

However, it was actually a secret communication method between the two women that no other people understood. Even Jade or Rikako could not decipher the secret moves between the two women.

"It's your fault for asking that weird question! Now that idiot has gotten another weird idea in her head!" Kochiya complained.

"Shut up!" Kawashiro retorted. "Why is it my fault? I'm just curious! Even if I didn't ask any question, you'd ask anyway!"

"Even so…who the hell actually asks about magic in front of this woman?!" Kochiya continued. "Now, we can't exactly tell this idiot that there's an alien inside our house, can we? Even worse, a magician alien from Luna!"

Kochiya shivered at the thought of Jade meeting Shirayuki.

"We're dead if she knows," Kawashiro responded. "This weirdo will be the worst-case scenario, period!"

Yet, Jade somehow realized that the two women were communicating with each other while leaving her out. The attentive woman's lips made a light curve upwards.

 _Secret discussions, huh? You won't get away from the Magna, fools. Magna is omniscient._

"Oi, the two of you. Just what are the two of you discussing?" Jade asked. The woman's vicious smile remained on her face.

Kawashiro and Kochiya were surprised by the sudden interruption from Jade.

"Huh?" Kochiya muttered. The greenhead seemed shocked.

"What's with that stupid look on your face?" Jade asked. "What were you thinking about, Kochiya Sanae, no, Mad Scientist, no, Nerd Girl with No Boyfriend!"

Kochiya was immediately lost for words.

"D-D-Do you really need to include that 'Nerd Girl with No Boyfriend' phrase?!" Kochiya shouted.

"It is only proper that I do that! If the Lunatic Engineer is the one suffering from infatuation, then you're someone who is too nerdy for anyone to approach! HAHAHAHA!"

Somehow, the greenhead's cheek turned red. She was naturally embarrassed by Jade's blunt statement that perfectly described herself.

"Y-Y-YOU!" Kochiya shouted in embarrassment. "DON'T TALK TO ME ABOUT HAVING A BOYFRIEND OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, YOU HYPOCRITE! YOU'RE LIKE A POT CALLING THE KETTLE BLACK!"

"That's not the only thing about you…you're also a closet otaku!" Jade exclaimed. "At least I'm not being hypocritical when I tell people about myself…guahahaha!"

"This messed-up woman…I ought to!" Kochiya glared at the woman and tightened her fist.

"Just be honest with yourself like me and be liberated from mundane things like common sense. Common sense is created by the Society to keep the masses in check while they do the illogical and the weirdest things ever!"

"So, you're actually telling me that you're an agent of the Society?" Kochiya asked.

"Eh? Hey! That's a contradiction! I serve Magna that strives against the evil Society! It is impossible for me to be an agent of the Society then!"

Kawashiro Nitori simply sighed as she listened to the ridiculous conversation between Kochiya and Jade.

"Um…but you're not acting sensibly. Since members of the Society act without common sense and you act without common sense, there is an implication that you are a member of the Society," Kochiya replied. "That's mathematical logic 101."

It was a primitive mathematics logical argument. Nevertheless, the argument made sense from an idiot's point of view.

"Why you…!" Jade shouted. She was lost for words. "Shut up, otaku! Are you secretly working as a member of the Society?!"

Kochiya grinned naughtily.

"Oh, are you trying to silence people now? That's exactly like how the Society operates…I sense something fishy here."

"I'M NOT A PART OF THE SOCIETY!" Jade exclaimed.

"Isn't the one working for the Society you, Jade? Oh, and is Magna your superior double agent that acts as if he is resisting the Society but in fact supports that crude organization?"

"I see, I see. So, you're questioning the authenticity of my role as the one who will change the foundation of the omniverse! Don't you worry! When the Society is taken down, then you will see the truth."

"Show me then. Of course, that's only if you're telling the truth."

Kawashiro only giggled at the two women.

"Heh. Anyway, what were the two of you discussing in secret just now?" Jade asked.

Kochiya sighed in her heart. Her attempt to change the topic of discussion failed.

She had purposely provoked Jade so that the latter forgot about that certain question. Yet, she failed to do so.

"Why are you so interested in our small talks…we were talking about how nonexistent Magna really is."

"No," Jade continued. "You were talking about something else. I'm pretty confident about that."

Kochiya's half-hearted bluff was easily noticed by Jade.

 _She's quite sharp_ , Kawashiro thought.

"Yeah…we were thinking about dinner. Sanae didn't cook breakfast although it's her turn today, so my stomach is grumbling right now. I want food!" Kawashiro answered.

At that time, the sound of hunger from Kawashiro's stomach could be heard given credibility to the bluehead's answer.

"Dinner?" Jade asked curiously. "So, your secret discussion is about dinner? How odd. Discussing about dinner in secrecy."

"It's rather weird to talk about dinner…ahahaha!" Kochiya replied with a forced laughter.

Jade furrowed her eyebrows and stared at Kochiya.

"So, what are you going to cook for dinner?"

"Wait…you're seriously asking me that question?" Kochiya asked. The greenhead's index finger was pointed towards herself.

Jade nodded.

"Well, I'm not inviting anyone to my house. So, you should stop thinking of hopping in my house for dinner because you feel lazy to cook your own meal."

Well…the real reason Kochiya refused to let her join for dinner was completely different but Jade was oblivious about it.

"You're quick…" Jade replied. "My intention is revealed."

"I've known you for a hundred years. Your intentions are no secret to me."

"And yet you're keeping secrets from me," Jade muttered nonchalantly. "Is this how you repay your savior?"

It was actually usual for Jade to simply enter Kochiya's house. In fact, Jade used to live under the basement along with Kawashiro Nitori during their university years while running a small laboratory called the Psychic Gadget Laboratory.

During those days, Jade would do the complex computer programming and analysis of machines created by Kawashiro using scientific theories suggested by Kochiya. In other words, Kochiya would provide the theoretical outline for an invention, Kawashiro would create the machine and Jade would be the quality checker and the programmer. Then, the three of them would sell their creations to other people and companies for money.

For that reason, it was rather unusual for Jade to be refused from entering Kochiya's house.

"HA?" Kochiya muttered in response.

Then, Jade turned her face away from the two women and closed her ears.

She seemed as if she was communicating with someone else using a communication device.

"It is me. It seems that Kochiya Sanae has fallen prey to Society's propaganda! WHAT? SHE'S A MEMBER OF THE SOCIETY?!"

"OI! THAT'S GOING TOO FAR!" Kochiya shouted.

"I see…that explains why she has been accusing me of serving the wicked Society! It was a tactic to divert my attention to cover her tracks. Not bad, soldier!"

Jade then looked at Kawashiro.

"Don't tell me…Nitori too has fallen to the traps and lures of the Society!"

"Don't drag me into your stupid Magna stuff!" Kawashiro shouted. "I'm clean from your nonsense!"

"The Society has offered her the love of her life in exchange for her cooperation to ensure the Order of the Omniverse be achieved?! This is impossible…to think that Nitori would betray me…"

Kawashiro cracked her fingers.

"Who the hell is this 'love of my life', HUH?!"

The light-blue haired woman glared at Jade.

"The reason why they're stopping me from coming for dinner tonight is because they're meeting members of the Society to receive their missions. HEHEHE!"

"Stop talking nonsense~!" both women shouted. "There's no one coming to visit us tonight! We just want some privacy!"

"Privacy…or is it a private meeting with the Society's agent?" Jade continued.

"Look, there's no such thing as the Society…" Kawashiro retorted.

Yet, she was immediately interrupted by Jade.

"There is a Society! That organization keeps hiding behind the shadows as the main string-puller of every event happening in the universe while telling people that they do not exist! These God-wannabes keep doing that for their own self-embellishment!"

Jade's reaction was just like Shirayuki's but unlike Shirayuki's proven magic, Jade's story was mostly something coming out of whim.

"Hold on, Jade. Do you actually think that I can be a member of the Society? I can't even punch an innocent bystander. Don't tell me that you're imagining me as a cold-blooded murderer doing odd jobs for the Society?"

However, Jade shook her head and crossed her arms in an X-formation.

Kochiya realized that trying to put some sense to Jade was useless at that time.

"That's not it, Sanae. The Society prefers people like you compared to criminals and cold-blooded murderers. That way, they can hide their tracks and get away with the worst crimes."

For any organization, it would prefer its agent to remain as low as possible and people that would not raise other people's suspicion were the best agents.

Using that rational thinking, Jade believed that Kochiya and Kawashiro were indeed agents of the Society.

"There's no salvation for her…what should we do, Nitori?" Kochiya whispered.

"Do you need to ask? We seal our house so that she doesn't get in! Before that…"

Kawashiro and Kochiya nodded.

There was no need for words.

In just a second, the two women who were housemates were already running away from Jade.

 **Part 4**

The Living God that Slays the Omnipotent God and the Element of God who wields the Power of God.

They hesitantly turned around while racing against the lunatic named Jade. It was necessary for them to escape the clutches of the maniac who was not thinking rationally.

"Shit! Shit! Why am I running away again? Is this supposed to be a daily exercise routine?" Kochiya screamed. "At this rate, I'm going to be even fitter than I was while serving in the military!"

Just last night, the greenhead was running away from a group of delinquents. Naturally, she would think that her luck was somewhat tied to running away from people.

"Shut up!" Kawashiro replied. "I don't want to do this shit either! This must be your misfortune creeping into my skin!"

As the two women rushed forward with all their remaining energy, a certain woman followed the pair of running women closely.

"Hold right there!" Jade shouted. "Don't run, you agents of the Society! I have finally unmasked both of you!"

Jade was acting like a police officer that was hell bent on chasing fugitives.

"Shut up and get lost!" Kochiya shouted. "We have nothing to do with the Society!"

"I see…so the Society has brainwashed both of you into submission! Just what kind of information about me have you leaked to those bastards?"

"Nothing! Just don't follow us tonight! Give us a space for privacy!" Kawashiro replied.

"Impossible. Unless I see the truth with my naked eyes, I will never stop bringing the two of you out from the darkness," Jade continued. "Only I can treat the two of you from the Society's mind control!"

"I think it's you who need medical treatment! Professor's psychic development curriculum has permanently damaged your mind with that nonexistent concept of the Society!" Kochiya protested.

With that said, Kochiya kicked a few pebbles that were on her way towards home while grabbing Kawashiro's right hand.

The distance between the two women and the otaku were widening by a few dozen meters.

Naturally, Jade noticed this trend and attempted to close the gap between herself and the two women.

"Not good. At this rate…" Jade muttered, "The two of you will never find salvation after selling your souls to the Society!"

Kochiya and Kawashiro decided to ignore their lunatic friend and rushed forward. Escaping Jade was the single, most crucial thing to be done for now.

"SUCH MISFORTUNE!" Kochiya shouted. "First, I didn't get to bite anything. Then that weirdo alien. Now this weirdo Tyradorian! Just get away from me already!"

Kochiya prayed hard to god that she would only think in Jungian psychology, history and philosophy classes. Naturally, she did not believe that her prayers would change anything especially since she had the power to kill God.

"Oi," Kawashiro muttered. "Aren't you going a bit too far with your words?"

However, Kochiya did not reply. Instead, she immediately pulled Kawashiro to her side and hugged the woman reflexively.

"WOAH?!" Kawashiro shouted.

A powerful burst of energy could be felt moving along the pathway right beside Kochiya and Kawashiro. The energy was powerful enough to throw Kochiya off-balance for a few seconds.

Kochiya managed to stabilize her body from falling on the road and continued running.

"This maniac is serious today! Out of all days!" Kochiya shouted.

"You master runner!" Jade shouted. "It's impossible to beat you in the game of running away. However, your time is up!"

Kochiya and Kawashiro had a weird feeling as they saw Jade's reaction.

The woman named Jade had her hairs moving despite the absence of wind blowing in the area.

Kawashiro, a psychic understood the implication behind that unnatural phenomenon.

Jade was gathering her psychic energy to be used as an offensive weapon.

"Wait…this is supposed to be a joke, right?" Kawashiro asked. "Are you seriously trying to attack us now?!"

"There's no other way! You have been corrupted by the devilish Society! As the Chosen One, I have to save my friends who have fallen into the hands of the Society!"

As soon as Jade finished her sentence, a few blows of concentrated psychic energy were fired towards the pair of women.

Almost immediately, Kochiya swung her right hand that could kill God.

The greenhead had did it reflexively, but the lethal energies that could reduce a human into mere quarks were neutralized immediately upon contact with the God Killer.

It did not matter whether it was magical or psychic.

It was no match for the God Killer that could erase the supernatural.

"You're just wasting your breath and psychic energy by attacking us!" Kochiya replied. Try and use some common sense by now!"

Naturally, Jade knew about Kochiya's ability. No matter how powerful the attack was, if it contacted the greenhead then it would be erased immediately.

"~~!" Jade began to grind her teeth. "Damn the Society! Using my friends to attack me is the best option they have in disposal!"

However, Jade then felt another strong blast of energy heading towards her.

"Nitori! You-!" she screamed.

Kawashiro grinned and continued by attacking her several times.

"Enjoy them! It's my treat!" Kawashiro giggled.

Jade did not have any convenient ability that could negate the energy, thus she was forced to use her own psychic energy to create a barrier and defend herself from the attack.

Jade lowered her body to stabilize her standing position and used her arms to defend herself from the impact of collision between the two opposing psychic energies.

Even then, the woman was pushed back by three meters while retaining her stance for a few seconds.

Jade then tripped on the ground like an old woman.

She knew that Kawashiro was more skillful than her in terms of psychic energy manipulation. In a direct confrontation between the two women, Jade would need to use some strategies beforehand if she truly wanted to win. Otherwise, Kawashiro would easily knock her down.

"Damn it…" the fallen woman grumbled. She quickly pushed her body away from the ground and tried to stand up again.

However, by the time she stood up agai,n there was no one nearby.

The two women had escaped her.

"Don't think that you can escape me, agents of the Society!"

 **Part 5**

The sky was slowly turning dark as darkness started to consume the sky illuminated by the orange color of light at dusk.

Shirayuki realized it since she witnessed the change in the intensity of sunlight from Kochiya's window and the automated lighting by the artificial intelligence controlling the house.

"…"

It was somewhat weird. In the lunar capital, there was no such thing as day and night. Even in 'day', the sky was dark but it was possible to see through everything as if it was a normal day.

But then, the Confederation of Tyrador possessed an atmosphere. Thus, it shouldn't be too surprising to realize that days and nights existed on this planet just like Earth.

Somehow, she felt a sense of longing for her hometown.

(How does Princess Kaguya feel when she looks at the moon from Earth?)

It was just natural for her to ask that question.

Even she felt lonely after leaving the capital for a long time despite not having any close friends or trustworthy relatives.

She merely missed the sight of the capital; the buildings, the rabbits, the lifestyle and the environment of the lunar capital. However, she did not miss anyone in that small world.

That was because she was never close to other lunarians regardless of status. She may be a nobility there, but she felt like a nonexistent character that was not supposed to live in that city.

Putting that aside, she exhaled the air that has been trapped in her lung for a few moments and furrowed her eyebrows.

She was indeed heavily injured this morning and could still feel the pain despite her wounds being closed by Kawashiro. However, her current reaction was not caused by her injuries.

Instead, it was due to the books that she was dedicated to reading for a few hours now. They were Tyradorian university-level mathematics and physics books belonging to Kochiya Sanae.

Before the two women left her alone in that room, they have placed the books by her side so that she could pick the books she wanted to read without going through the hassle of standing and walking painfully.

However, the books were odd.

If anyone judged the books from the exterior, one would not expect the book to be exceptionally thick. In fact, the books were mostly thin. But the truth was unexpectedly stranger than fiction.

When Shirayuki opened the first page of the book, various pages began appearing out of nowhere. That caused the book to thicken, and yet after the book was closed it immediately returned to its original thin size.

Other than that, the quality of the contents of the books were no different from using a holographic computer.

Tyradorian books possessed pictures that could be played like YouTube videos and could be projected and materialized into holograms that were tangible and real. The mathematical equations 'played' themselves as it appeared and showed methods of calculation like computer software and websites such as Wolfram Alpha.

Upon touching any word that she could not understand, the book would further define the words like an encyclopedia.

While lunarian books exhibited the same characteristic as the books she was reading, the books from her world were thick. Especially, academic books and grimoires.

On the contrary, Tyradorian books were as thin as a few pieces of paper flocked together. One could even argue that they weren't books.

"This…this is like reading a complicated, encrypted grimoire made by an expert magician," she complained. "I can't understand the technical details in this book. What the heck does omega squared is inversely proportional to psionic reaction time is supposed to mean?!"

As a lunarian magician, the knowledge of science was necessary to complement her magical abilities. Of course, she was considered as someone well-verse in various aspects of lunarian science. Her scientific knowledge was sufficient for her to understand the mechanism behind the most sophisticated machines in the lunar capital.

Yet, after reading Sanae's university books she felt completely overwhelmed by the contents of the book.

She felt like an immature, average five-year-old child trying to digest doctorate theses and academic journals written by experts that have dedicated themselves io the field of research.

"I must have overestimated my intelligence. I thought that I could quickly muster these notes, but these equations never exist in the lunar capital. It would take us hundreds of thousands of years to reach this level from our current state and Lady Yagokoro might need at least a few thousand years to decipher all the equations in this book."

She paused and flipped the pages even further.

Even more weird equations involving statistics, advanced functions and mathematical laws that were alien to her appeared.

Then, a question came into her mind.

"How can these people have such advanced science and yet not rule the known universe? With this level of science, even our magic sounds like Stone Age science to them. They could easily annex the whole universe and turn everything into their colonies."

She recalled how Kochiya and Kawashiro labeled her ability as an unclassified psychic ability.

"They must have zero interest in universal domination."

Shirayuki wondered the fate of lower-level civilizations if the superior ones decided to annex and expand without a shred of care for the inferiors. It might be even worse than the European expansion into North America.

After hours of reading academic books with no real understanding of the books, Shirayuki finally gave up trying to.

(It's useless…I can't understand anything.)

Thus, she turned her attention to other books that appealed her.

The books were comic books and fantasy light novel books.

"…."

She took a book and moved her delicate eyes.

Thus, she went a long voyage as she concentrated herself into the fantasy light novel belonging to Kochiya Sanae.

 **Part 6**

A few meters outside the house belonging to Kochiya Sanae and Kawashiro, there were two humanoid aliens standing outside the house.

The aliens had eyes twice the size of human eyes that blink normally but without eyebrows.

The face possessed no nose, one mouth, two ears without earlobes that would make them appear earless to many. They had rigid hairs that felt like plastic hairs coming from their heads.

The bodies were covered with yellow glowing clothing covering their bodies other than their arms and their calves. At their clothes, there was a giant circle that could be observed at the center of the clothing above the stomach. However, the bodies of the aliens were notably thin, unlike human bodies. It was very possible for them to be knocked out by a blow from a human primary schooler.

The aliens possessed two arms and two legs just like humans. Both the arms and the legs possessed five fingers each.

However, their fingers were almost congruent with each other unlike human fingers that have different sizes depending on the position of the fingers. A human thumb would be shorter than an index finger, but the aliens' thumb was similar in size and length of their index fingers.

The exposed part of the aliens' bodies showed that their skins were greenish blue.

The blue color was pale while the green color resembled that of green plants and trees.

In terms of body size, they were tall but skinny. The average height of these aliens were two meters, and some of them could easily reach three to four meters.

From the point of view of inferior civilizations, these aliens may have a slight resemblance to zombies due to their tall and skinny appearance. Of course, this observation was notably true at night.

These aliens were known as Meringians that came from the planet Mering and its various colonies. It was a civilization that neighbored the Tyrador sector and the world of humanity.

The two aliens looked at the house with a hostile, murderous intent.

"Are you sure that the Tyradorian magician is lurking here?" asked one of the aliens. "We cannot afford to be mistaken here."

He was standing at the right side of the two aliens. The alien wore a golden armband that encircled his right arm.

It was proof of his status and his position as the leader of the group.

The other alien nodded.

"Positive, Executioner Kohor. I detected some magical emanation here," he replied. "Although the form of magic used is rather primitive," the other alien continued.

He spoke with a respectful tone as he nodded after finishing his sentence. It was a Meringian tradition to honor their superiors regardless of location.

The second alien was holding a tablet-like device with a GPS-like screen and functionality. On the screen, there was a dot pointing at a position. The coordinates of the position indicated the location as the house they were standing in front of.

The table was very likely to be a magic tracking device. It seemed potent enough to track even the weakest magicians considering that it had the ability to track Shirayuki with ease.

"I see…the magic she used was faint to the extent that we could not properly identify it. Yet, it was enough to be picked up by this tracker."

The leader, Executioner Kohor looked at the tablet for a few seconds and pressed a red button at the top right edge of the machine. The screen refreshed itself only to reconfirm the position of the said magician.

It was undoubtedly inside the house.

The two aliens looked at the house for a few seconds with mixed expressions.

"What should we do, Executioner Kohor?" asked the other alien.

He was certainly hesitating to act.

Their mission was to slay the magician who had entered Tyrador's atmosphere after escaping groups of their own anti-magic probes. It seemed that this magician was inside a Tyradorian's house.

"We can't afford to destroy a Tyradorian's house. It would cause an uproar."

Executioner Kohor seemed to think deeply for a few seconds.

"The foolishly benevolent Tyradorian government would be demanding a lot of compensation from the Meringian Cathedral if we damaged a Tyradorian property."

To the Confederation of Tyrador, land and properties on land were never government's absolute rights; these properties belonged to its citizens as absolute possessions and taxation on land and property was prohibited by the Tyradorian Constitution. This absoluteness was to the extent that the government could never seize any land and compensate its owner for any purpose; everything must be done with consent. The responsibility of the government was to ensure that every property on Tyradorian soil was protected and the laws of ownership were upheld.

It was a very capitalistic and libertarian government as far as citizens' properties were involved.

If a foreign government damaged Tyradorian properties on Tyradorian soil, the government would demand a lot of compensation to compensate the owners of the damaged properties.

"We may have permission from the government to slay the magician, but if we're not careful the tides might be changed."

Due to the politics involved, the Meringian agents were not free to act as they please.

As agents from the only alien civilization that could stand toe-to-toe with the most advanced civilization in the universe, they had to be precarious in performing their missions.

The Tyradorian government was rather effective in eliminating foreign agents sneaking into the planet. Thus, it was better to receive permission to operate within the government.

Besides the target was a magician. The target was a part of the occult that the Tyradorian government loathed.

In a way, by allowing these foreign assassins to act on Tyradorian soil, the government was in fact, assassinating Shirayuki as well while leaving the dirty job to the aliens. It was more like using a free mercenary or hitman service to clear an unwanted enemy. That way, the current, ruling government could flee responsibility if legal questions were asked given that the death of Shirayuki was exposed by the opposition party or other government-checking groups and agencies.

These shady transactions between the Meringian Cathedral and the Confederation of Tyrador were not recent. This relationship has been for eons.

"This is ridiculous. From the information given by the Tyradorian government, the magician was not its citizen. But if she was not a citizen, then how did she manage to find refuge in a house?"

Executioner Kohor thought.

"This is a completely ridiculous situation…"

The alien twitched its mouth in annoyance.

Tyradorian houses have levels of protection designed to fend off soldiers during times of war.

The security level was beyond what mere agents could handle unless they acted using brute force. Sneaking into the house have been proven to be a futile action since many agents had died while attempting to do so.

Of course, these cases were kept secret by the Tyradorian government and the Meringian Cathedral.

"Duruk. Annihilate her using magic pressure. Oh, and be quick to erase all traces before the owner of this house returns. We cannot afford to leave any trace of our magic here."

"Magic pressure, Executioner?" asked the alien obediently.

With the command given by the Executioner Kohor, the other alien nodded and disappeared. He successfully blended himself with the environment.

It was a magical skill used by agents to prevent its targets from detecting their presence.

By copying the functions of an optical camouflage device, it could give its caster the ability to cloak and avoid ordinary detection. However, the magic spell was not potent enough to fool the most advanced detection systems available.

It was weird considering that Tyrador was void of religion. Therefore, magic was not supposed to work on that planet.

However, the Meringian certainly used magic to disappear.

In a way, it was mysterious and in another way, it was terrifying to just imagine the situation.

As for Executioner Kohor, the alien began walking away hastily.

He had to ensure that they were not seen or observed by other Tyradorians. This was important to ensure the secrecy and sanctity of their mission.

They could not afford to raise suspicion among the average Tyradorians that were oblivious to the world of magic. This was not a charity; this was an assassination mission.

Even a slight mistake could lead them to failure, and the Cathedral does not tolerate the concept of failure well.

* * *

At the same time, there was a reason why the injured woman could escape the clutches of the aliens hunting her.

Unlike what the aliens had assumed, the lunarian sage Shirayuki was not an absolute idiot especially in the field of magic.

She knew when something was wrong. She truly understood that.

 _A magician is here?! These aliens are quick enough to find me here!_

She could feel a hostile presence lurking around her. The presence was cold and filled with murderous intents. She could also feel a magic spell being casted around her.

This is not good! I need to leave this place!

 _The lunarian knew that. She knew that this was not the place she should be in._

She realized that she had to escape or take the certain risk of turning into pieces of flesh without any soul.

Unfortunately, her condition prevented her from standing up so easily. She was deeply injured and she was still struggling even to sit properly. Standing up was already a major challenge to the lunarian.

If she could use healing magic, she would have healed herself some time ago. Unfortunately, her magic would not work in this world.

Even so, her enemies were casting magic.

She twitched her lips and realized something crucial that separated her from the alien magicians; the magic systems that herself and her enemies were using.

It was of a different format such as lunarian magic and Gensokyou's magic.

It was an entirely different system of magic with different bases and different rules that became its foundation.

Shirayuki realized that the Meringian magic system was superior to lunarian magic system. Thus, the claim that lunarians invented magic should be retracted.

There were differences between magic formats and magic systems.

Magic formats were formats in which magic was applied in a system.

One could imagine magic formats to be like computer operating systems.

Some computers might be using Windows operating system, some may be using Mac OS and others might be using Linux. From the outside, the functionalities were different, the designs was different and the usage method was different between each operating system.

However, in depth analysis would give a realization that all three operating systems were mostly built on C and C++ programming languages. The main reasons that Windows, Linux and Mac OS had different appearances and functionalities were due to the additional languages added to the system other than C and C++ and the functions and codes used in C and C++ that were the foundation of the three operating systems.

The same computer science concept could be applied to magic formats.

Some casters may be using Shinto magic. Others may use Buddhist magic, Taoist magic or even western magic.

But at the end, the foundation or the system of these magic formats were the same: a magic system built on faith. Without faith, the magic systems would crumble.

Magic would disappear without faith from people. Youkai and gods perish without people supplying faith (or in the case of youkai, fear). Religions would crumble without faith.

However, magic systems were the foundation in which the field of magic was established. The magic system became the base for all magic spells that were casted, and the magic system required an understanding of the true nature of the world.

This could be explained by a using a simple analogy such as transportation. Primitive transportation systems relied on animals and other living things that weren't efficient enough to cover long distances in a short time. However, using a modern transportation with engines would easily solve a lot of issues regarding time and efficiency.

Similarly, magic behaved like technology. A primitive magic system could never challenge an advanced magic system even if the spell casted gave the exact same effect. A time manipulator using a primitive magic system would never be able to win against a time manipulator using an advanced magic system. Besides, the rules in which the magic laws of the two systems operate would be different from each other.

Therefore, the type of magic system used was important to any magician.

"Those folks in the city keep bragging how flawless the lunarian society is," Shirayuki grumbled. "I bet they would retract their sentences and get their lazy asses off after seeing such science and such magic over here."

But under the disadvantage of her physical ability and her magic skills, she could not help but to fret and think deeply.

If she had remained in this house, she might have caused trouble for both Sanae and Nitori especially a battle happened and the house was damaged.

As Shirayuki did not want to involved unrelated people with her problems, she decided to run away from the house.

She could not afford to drag other people into her personal issues.

Thus, she had to move even if she was unable to stand up.

Her action was simple. She rolled her body from the bed onto the floor.

"I can do this!"

Even if she was heavily injured, she could still force her body to roll out of the bed.

At least, she could still try and take a bet to live.

She would rather fight to the end than lying on the bed helplessly like a dying person.

She loathed the idea of anticipating a shinigami. She did not want to give up and wait for her demise. She could not accept such a pitiful ending after discovering different worlds that fascinated her.

She had not told the two women who had kindly helped her about the reason she was under attack.

Perhaps the lunarian did not want to worry other people too much.

However, the real reason she had been attacked was due to the aliens detecting her using a positioning magic when she was driving her spaceship.

The lunarian had left the lunar capital two hundred years ago, due to a certain reason (mainly exploration purposes that were not allowed by Lord Tsukuyomi). Even then, she could not afford to witness the same, dark space for unknown number of years as she voyaged across worlds.

Thus, she placed herself under a cryogenic sleep and hoped that she would reach another world by the time she woke up while her ship would continue to travel faster than light for years.

After sleeping for two hundred years, she had been awakened by the cryogenic storage device.

Naturally, the sleeping beauty was clueless about the location that her spaceship travelled along in automated mode.

Because of that, she decided to cast a positioning magic to help her locate her own coordinates in deep space. It was like using GPS to locate the position of yourself after getting lost in an unknown area. She was uncertain about the success about her magic in deep space but she continued with the spell.

It was somewhat successful but with unsatisfactory result. The weakening of her magic potency affected the result of her positioning spell.

However, she was not aware that her spell had attracted the attention of Meringian anti-magic probes roaming around the space where she casted the spell. It seemed that the anti-magic probes had led her to be hunted by magicians sent by the Meringian Cathedral.

She did not know the reason behind the attack. The aliens that had attacked her seemed vicious enough to execute her at any cost.

However, she knew that the Meringians was using a magic system different from lunarian magic system.

As she continued forcing her body to move, she rolled her body.

The lunarian literally rolled like a cylindrical object rolling through the stairs from Sanae's room to the living room. Every time her body touched the edge of the stairs, she bit her lips and resisted the urge to scream.

It was a pathetic sight to watch. No human could bear watching such sight.

However, Shirayuki knew that she had no other option. This was the only choice she had to escape the house.

The computer system gave an alarm to Shirayuki's surprise.

It seemed that Kochiya Sanae had placed a command to the artificial intelligence to monitor Shirayuki's movement.

After the alarm was activated, the security facilities of the house were activated.

Shirayuki could only notice a plasma cannon coming out from a wall. There might be other weapons and security features that were in place.

(Even the Lunar Palace where Lord Tsukuyomi lives isn't guarded to this extent! What the hell are these aliens thinking in the first place?!)

The lunarian continued rolling towards the front door only to stop for a moment as she ignored the security alarm.

She could not stand properly and the door was automatically locked to prevent her from leaving the house.

In other words, she was trapped inside the house without any means of escaping.

 **Author's note: The second chapter, rewritten. Hope you enjoy this :D And to the reviews, thanks!**


	4. Chapter 3: Servants of the CATHEDRAL

**Chapter 3: The Society of Anti-Evil; Servants of the CATHEDRAL**

 **Part 1**

"Did we lose that maniac?" Kawashiro asked.

Kochiya turned back and looked around.

There was no sign of anyone following the pair of women. Naturally, that included Jade.

It seemed that their pursuer has given up for that day.

Kochiya breathed out in relief. One of the most unwanted figures in her current situation has disappeared. She hoped that Jade would not pop up anytime soon.

After all, the greenhead could not imagine the reaction of her mad friend meeting an alien from the solar system. It was totally incomprehensible to the one who could kill God.

"I think we should be fine by now," the greenhead concluded. "If she continues, we might have to knock her down to correct that screwed mind of hers."

However, this was not the right time to be concerned about a woman who was trapped in fantasy.

As they reached the place they called 'home' in Tyrador, they hid behind the edge of a stoned fence.

The two women could hear the noise of the alarm ringing from their house.

"Why is the alarm going on in our house?"

The alarm was set by Kochiya to be triggered if Shirayuki was displaced out of the room.

Naturally, there were many reasons for someone to leave the room. However, an injured person who was being hunted by other people would only leave a place due to the threat of the enemy.

That was natural for Kochiya who possessed a simple mindset. However, she was not far from the truth.

At the same time, Kochiya was relieved. It was a Sebt so many people were out of their homes including her neighbors.

If her neighbors were around, then it would create more unnecessary interruption from people who were completely unrelated to this issue. Kochiya would not want to spend time handling petty issues such as neighbors interrupting in their issues or even suing them for disturbing peace. Even worse, the neighbors might actually report about something that could not be resolved with sweet words.

They might have to spend a lot of time visiting the Prosecutors' Office and the court to defend themselves from their neighbors.

Kawashiro took a sneak peek from the edge of the fence.

She saw something that she immediately recognized.

"That is…" Kawashiro whispered, "…A Meringian?"

She could clearly see the alien looking at her house nervously while behaving in a panicked manner.

"What the hell is a Meringian doing in front of our house?" the bluehead continued asking.

It was usual to find Meringian tourists in the major cities and historical sites of Tyrador. However, it was unlikely for Meringians to be in residential areas that were mainly Tyradorian houses with no attraction sites.

She gently moved her fingers as she gave subliminal messages that only Kochiya would understand.

"Beats me up," Kochiya replied.

The greenhead continued to observe the alien carefully.

A few questions appeared in her mind.

Who was the alien? What was his purpose? Why would a Meringian appear right in front of her house?

She then recalled something important.

Shirayuki did mention that she was being hunted by some alien magicians. The alien magicians were the ones that have injured her beforehand.

Both Kochiya and Kawashiro knew that very well and still recalled the lunarian's statement clearly.

However, Kochiya could barely believe the sight in front of her eyes.

 _A…Meringian?_ Kochiya thought.

The Meringians.

They were very known to Tyradorians as a species that possessed a civilization equal in standing to them. Tyradorians in general respected the Meringians and the Meringian culture.

In fact, the relationship between the two civilizations were close. There were many visitors from Tyrador that would visit Mering and there were many Meringians that would visit Tyrador and other human worlds for tourism purposes. From an economic standpoint, the two civilizations frequently engaged in trade and economic cooperation.

Even the conglomerate that Kochiya worked for owned several regional headquarter branches in the Meringian worlds with Mering as the center of business operation due to its status as the capital of the civilization. Many large Tyradorian corporations were established as multiplanetary corporations in the Meringian worlds.

That was how integrated the two civilizations were in terms of commerce and diplomacy. Both the Confederation of Tyrador and the Meringian Cathedral were the only universal superpowers that existed in the same galaxy. It was unthinkable for the two civilizations to be at war.

It would be a war that would end all existence in the universe or possibly the omniverse.

Yet, she did not know that the Meringians were practicing magic. She doubted that any normal Tyradorian would.

After all, she did not feel any weird sensation or observation when she visited Mering for business purposes. Moreover, the Meringians seemed ordinary to her. There were no signs of any Meringian using any type of supernatural ability.

Because of that, if the Meringians performed magic then most Tyradorians would simply thought of it as another psychic ability.

Despite that, Kochiya knew that the alien standing in front of her was from a different world.

She was from the world of science.

The alien was from the world of magic.

His world was a world where the unimaginable such as magic and the occult exist. It was no longer a world dictated by common sense.

(What is this ridiculousness?!) Kochiya thought.

She had not remembered anything about her past as a shrine maiden thus she knew nothing about magic. Even if she retained her memories, there was nothing that she could do against the magic of the Meringian world that differed greatly from the magic of Gensokyou.

The same was true for the baffled Kawashiro Nitori. She might have been a true oddity.

Unlike Tyradorians that were humans and Meringians that were aliens, Kawashiro had a different nature compared to Kochiya that was human.

The bluehead was from a flesh-eating species known as the youkai, specifically the kappa species that fed on the fears and flesh of primitive Earth humans. Yet, her memory lost has caused her to forget her roots and led her to assume that she was a human.

Unfortunately, any youkai that forgot its original identity as a youkai would become human.

Such was the case of Kawashiro Nitori. Her memory lost has turned her into a human. Even so, the Psychic Development Curriculum was responsible to make this transformation an irreversible one.

Right now, Kawashiro was a pure, Tyradorian woman that was just as clueless as Kochiya in the field of magic.

Kawashiro looked at the greenhead.

"What should we do now?" Kawashiro asked.

Kochiya shrugged her shoulders. That question was difficult enough for Kochiya who knew nothing about magic.

"Beats me up…" Kochiya replied honestly. She could not even think of an answer.

At this moment, neither of them knew the right action to take. They were simply too confused to act.

 **Part 2**

The Meringian named Duruk cursed as he heard the loud ringing of the alarm.

"Damn it!"

As a magician, he specialized in assassinating magicians in the most desolate places of the universe. He has slain many magicians that were deemed heretical and dangerous to the Cathedral. However, he did it in open places without gaining the attention of any unrelated people.

"How could a normal home be equipped with a detection device that could detect my cloaking magic?!"

The magician stepped back by two meters.

He could not understand how his flawless magic has been foiled by a mere scientific machine. The clergyman serving the Meringian Cathedral could not accept the fact that his magic spell would be foiled by a machine that was run using scientific equations.

This led him to reach another conclusion.

"Is this the doing of that dark magician?! Impossible! That lunatic barbarian should be unable to do this!"

The alien knew that his target's magical abilities were significantly inferior to his own.

He did not need to test his enemy's skill; he was experienced enough to execute his targets with the minimum required force. He preferred to ensure that his missions and executions were done perfectly without room for doubt or mistake.

As an experienced magic slayer that has killed many who were strayed from the path of the Cathedral, he knew the workings of magic exceptionally well.

"I see…so this magician is trying to play some tricks with me. Well then,"

The alien gave a cold smile.

He was filled with the emotional rush of someone who was excited to execute his enemy.

For the alien, the more enemies that he slayed the higher was his worth. Killing others became an achievement to him and the goal of killing the most number of enemies was his ultimate trophy.

"I hope you will entertain me for a while, barbarian."

The magician alien leapt forward.

Honestly, he was unused to urban magical combat in Tyrador.

Normally, his missions would be in alien planets where magic was practiced or in the slums of Meringian colonies where bandits and groups that opposed the authority of the Cathedral gathered.

He would be sent to eliminate any opposition to the Cathedral and any Meringian groups that were practicing any religion other than the worship of Deoh.

This was his first time being sent to capture an alien magician in the world of science where most agents would refrain themselves from entering Tyrador. The Confederation of Tyrador was a difficult place for magicians and religious people.

The scientific atmosphere in this planet was a deterrent to most magicians regardless of religion or affiliation.

He knew that he was taking an unnecessary risk to eliminate his enemy. He was just like a financial speculator that was taking an unnecessary risk to obtain uncertain gains from a decision.

Even so, his inflated ego as an anti-magic specialist has blocked his mind from thinking rationally.

He would gladly die in the name of the Cathedral if his mission was completed.

(I have no other option then. I will bury that magician along with this house. To ensure her demise, I'll cast a soul-locking spell and find her body. HEHEHEHE!)

The Meringian Cathedral has a long history of exterminating magicians and using the soul and the body of the exterminated magicians for various purposes. The alien named Duruk knew that. His centuries of experience with the Cathedral gave him the right to make such claims mainly because his words were true.

He immediately came up with a rough idea in his mind.

He would destroy the security mechanisms that would hinder him from reaching his target. He would neutralize anything that was standing between him and his target.

Once all obstacles were removed, he would slay the damned magician for good.

It was a simple and clear plan. There was no complicated planning or jargons involved.

There was nothing to be worried about if there was no outsider involved. The Tyradorian government was a part of this mission.

If anything went out of control, the government would cover it up as well. The hypocritical Tyradorian government would do it to keep themselves popular for the next general election.

If issues such as this went public, the Tyradorians might not vote for the current government. Due to that reason, the government was forced to be a part of this mission. Moreover, the target was a magician who believed in religion. It has always been a policy of the government to execute religious people.

Thus, Duruk could relax and focus on slaying his target.

But something immediately destroyed his ambition and the atmosphere surrounding him.

The alien stopped moving for a few seconds.

It was not something extraordinary. It was not a powerful magic spell. Nor was it any psychic ability.

The 'thing' that froze him was no more than mere voices.

"Hold right there, weird Meringian!"

The voices belonged to two humans. The alien knew that much and twitched his lips.

 _Damn it_ , he thought.

The voice of two women startled the alien. The alien realized that he has been noticed.

He realized that he was caught in a complicated situation. He was seen in action.

It was not something that he could easily cover up after leaving the crime scene.

Even then, he found it unsurprising and thought that it should be expected. The alarm was triggered by his presence (or so he assumed) thus there should be people noticing his existence.

Due to that, the alien assumed that the machines detected his presence despite being cloaked.

Since he did not wish to waste his magical potency, he immediately stopped his invisibility spell and appeared normally.

But that was not the issue that bothered the alien. That was a minor issue that could be resolved easily.

The issue was that there were witnesses to his activity that was deemed as a secret mission.

As a secret agent that was supposed to execute everything in secrecy, he could not afford to be seen by anyone unaffiliated to his mission especially Tyradorians.

He did not care about the Meringians. Of course, it would cause some trouble but he could pull some strings from the Cathedral to solve any possible outcome with the Meringians.

However, Tyradorians would cause different issues. Unlike Meringians that would bow before the Cathedral, the Tyradorians stood proudly against the wishes of the Cathedral.

Moreover, the voices were undoubtedly human voices but they were speaking in the Meringian language. Even so, he knew the difference between a native speaker and a speaker from Tyrador.

He realized that it was too late and lamented his fate.

 _It seems that today is my bad day_ , the alien thought.

"Tyradorians? There's no option then."

The alien turned his attention to the two women. He felt a sudden urge to execute the two women yet he still remembered to practice some level of self-restrain.

"Are you the owners of this house?" Duruk asked.

Something came into his mind. The success or failure of this mission depended on this plan, and the success of this plan depended on his negotiation skills and the Tyradorians' cooperation.

"Yes, you Meringian intruder! What about it?!" shouted Nitori furiously.

The agent named Duruk gave a calm composure and a kind smile. He expected such reactions from the newcomers and maintained a rational thinking.

"I come with peace, I bring no weapon. I do not mean any harm. There is no reason for me to be hostile against you."

"You almost destroyed our house and now you're acting kind?" Nitori continued. "What kind of shitty plans are you trying to accomplish here?!"

The Meringian raised his hand in an apologetic manner. Kawashiro however ignored the man's body language and continued aiming the man with words.

"Do you want me to call the prosecutors and cops?!" the bluehead threatened.

 _Do you really think that they will help you? Heh, I am acting under the permission of your government!_ Duruk thought.

The government would most likely turn a blind eye to Nitori's plight. The alien knew it better than anyone else.

Even so, the alien realized that it was a waste of time to confront the Tyradorians.

The two women were not his target. The dark magician inside the house was his target and he should focus on his mission rather than getting himself in stupid, meaningless fights.

Thus, it would be better if he could persuade them to cooperate with him. He could simply take Shirayuki without any meaningless battle.

It would shorten the time needed for him to accomplish the mission.

He could also escape the hassle of handling with the red tape of the Tyradorian government.

"I apologize for my rude actions…but my actions were justified."

Duruk kneeled before both Nitori and Sanae immediately after he finished his sentence. It was a sign of apology from the alien to the two humans.

It was a Meringian tradition. It was just like some cultures that bowed to others as a sign of apology and respect.

"Justified?" Kawashiro asked. "How is attacking someone's house justified, weirdo! Is that what the Cathedral teaches to everyone in the Meringian worlds?"

"Just why did you try to attack our house? On top of that, you're using some type of weird power as well!" continued Sanae.

The greenhead then folded her arms.

The Meringian stood up from his kneeling position in a calm manner.

The alien's movement itself was insignificant.

Despite that, the two humans stepped back for unknown reasons. Perhaps they were worried that the Meringian would suddenly attack them. It was better to be careful than to be sorry.

But they were mistaken. The alien did not attack them.

Instead, Duruk then pointed to the interior of the house.

"We have detected an irregularity coming from that house. Unfortunately, that irregularity has been classified as a major threat to us."

"An irregularity?" Kawashiro pushed further. "What is this…irregularity that you speak about?"

Duruk nodded.

"Yes. An irregularity that threatens the stability of the Cathedral. That thing is dangerous and cannot be allowed to run amok. If not handled carefully, the stability of the Cathedral and the Confederation might collapse. Therefore, I humbly request that the two of you hand the person hiding inside your house to us peacefully and everything will be settled."

Duruk thought that Sanae and Nitori did not know about the world of magic. For that reason, he purposely refused to use the term 'magician'. The word 'irregularity' was sufficient to explain the situation to the two women.

The alien said that without expressing any emotion other than malice. Even Kochiya and Kawashiro could feel the hostility overflowing from his words.

"We are willing to pay for retributions and any loss suffered that both of you requested. Other than that, you can return to your normal lives without any intervention from us."

"…"

Kochiya and Kawashiro remained silent.

The alien thought that his generous offer has shaken the women.

"No matter what the cost is, the Meringian Cathedral can pay it directly to the two of you. Name me your price and we can discuss about the details further."

He mentioned it as if he was buying a slave from a slave merchant. From a business point of a view, it was a lucrative offer that only an idiot would reject.

Yet, Kochiya did not really care about the offer.

"What are you going to do with her?" asked Kochiya.

The alien merely grinned as he heard Kochiya's question.

Kochiya's expression turned from a solemn one to one filled with displease and disgust after she saw Duruk's face.

"Just simple stuff…oh, do not worry. Humans might be worried about things like slave trade and sex slaves but I am not a sexual predator. I'm a clergyman who gave my everything to Deoh without any question."

At the same time, Kochiya was thinking about something related to her conversation with Shirayuki earlier.

She decided to speak her mind.

"Wait…" she muttered. "Are you the magicians that have been chasing Shirayuki?!" the greenhead replied.

The alien seemed puzzled and surprised upon hearing the word 'magicians'.

It was impossible. Tyrador was a world of science where the idea of magic was rejected by the scientific community. All supernatural phenomena were called 'psychic abilities'. There was no room for the occult to grow in this planet.

Even Duruk, a clergy serving the Cathedral knew that very well.

He thought that his ears were faulty. It was very unlikely for someone from the world of science to know about magic.

"Ma-gicians?" the alien asked. "What is that? Is it a type of occult movement?"

He decided to play the fool.

How could ordinary Tyradorians know about magic? He must have misheard the word.

"Don't act stupid with me! Are you the magician that has been hunting Shirayuki?"

Again, the word 'magician' was used. Duruk now realized that Kochiya was not throwing some weird words. The greenhead knew about the world of magic or at least, the existence of magic and its practitioners.

This time, the alien's expression was of amusement and excitement. He did not expect Kochiya Sanae to use the term 'magician'.

He was also shocked to learn that the greenhead knew about how they have been chasing Shirayuki.

However, as a professional magic hunter he maintained his professional front. He simply smiled.

"Oh, so the two of you knew about the world of magic?" he replied casually.

Kochiya and Kawashiro took a step back.

The Meringian extended his arms in excitement.

"Well, I thought that only a small percentage of Tyradorians truly knew about the existence of magic. This is news to me but this makes things easier."

(A small percentage…?) Kawashiro thought.

Duruk did not know how exactly Sanae and Nitori knew about the existence of magic.

 _The dark magician's work…huh? Just how much did that devil briefed to these atheists?_

Perhaps Shirayuki had told them about it. Regardless of that, his mission remained the same.

Executing Shirayuki was his top priority and there was nothing that would stop him from doing it.

"What are you planning to do with her?" Nitori asked. "Are you planning to kill her?"

Duruk thought that it was weird but the two women asked their questions in an ordered fashion.

Nevertheless, he patiently replied.

"You see…we Meringians Executioners uphold the law of the Meringian Cathedral. I'm pretty sure you know what the Cathedral is," the Meringian replied in a sanguine fashion.

Both Kawashiro Nitori and Kochiya Sanae felt a tinge of unpleasantness as they heard the answer.

The Meringian Cathedral was the ultimate ruling body of the Meringian worlds. It was also the highest theological institution of the Meringian religion.

Duruk continued. He did not care about the two Tyradorians standing before him.

"But that magician is a primitive heretic that is not following the way of the Cathedral. To put it simple, she is a black magic practitioner and must be exterminated through any means possible."

Sanae and Nitori looked at each other and realized something.

This was no longer the realm of the ordinary psychic life they have led for the last hundred years.

This was another realm where things like magic and magicians exist.

There was no need to enter Gensokyou to discover or more accurately rediscover magic.

Instead, magic had appeared before them.

It was weird, but they have just met Shirayuki for less than a day.

Now, standing before them were magicians that were truly wishing to end her life.

"You…" muttered Sanae.

Duruk, who was expecting a positive reply from the two women gave a smile of 'That's it!'

"How can you easily judge and wish people to die?! What did she ever do to you or Mering?! Is she a threat to your planet? The planet that serves as the center of a universal superpower with two hundred million standing soldiers could never be taken down by a woman like her!"

Both Sanae and Nitori knew that there was no reason for them to be moralistic.

They could easily hand her over and end the story of their involvement in the hidden world of magic. There was no reason for them to be involved in the issue between a lunarian and the Meringian Cathedral.

In fact, if they have handed Shirayuki over to the magician then everything would be settled peacefully. Both Kochiya and Kawashiro could return to their daily lives without having any connection to the occult.

However, there was a dwelling instinct of 'over our dead bodies, freako!' dwelling within them.

The instinct was telling them to fend off the intruder and protect the lunarian.

It was different from someone acting out of personal interest.

Was it due to their interest in the lunarian?

Or perhaps did they receive orders from lunarians to protect Shirayuki?

Or maybe the lunarians paid them with stacks of gold?

The answer was no. Far from it. They weren't hired bodyguards that were responsible to defend the lunarian from her enemies.

Rather, it was unknown if the lunarians would care about defending Shirayuki from an alien race that were superior to themselves. The cowardly, exclusive people that were secluded in a small world would never care about its own people who left the capital without the permission of the monarch.

And the lunarians have no personal attachment to Shirayuki. Unlike Yagokoro that was a fellow founder of the capital and one of its greatest minds or Kaguya that was a member of royal family, Shirayuki was an expendable resource that could be discarded anytime.

For that reason, it was impossible to assume that they were paid by lunarians.

Thus, why?

The reason behind their instincts was a simple one. Some people might have considered it as a childish reason.

It was simple enough that it required no explanation; yet it was difficult since it could not be conveyed through words.

Were they altruistic? Perhaps they were. Perhaps they weren't.

Even Kochiya and Kawashiro were clueless about the answer.

However, if there was a sentence to summarize their thoughts at that time it was one: _Wasn't that the right thing to do?_

That was their belief.

 **Part 3**

Duruk nodded in a disappointed manner.

He has prepared to receive that rejection from the women as a possibility. He knew that life was never too easy. If it was, then there was no need for him to hunt the magician in a different world.

Still, he could not help but to feel a little bit down with himself.

He believed that he attempted to resolve everything in the least bloody manner.

He thought that this was the best way he could come up with. No one would suffer from this exchange.

Unfortunately, his attempt to resolve this issue through diplomacy failed.

His proposal to bribe the two women was rejected without any room for negotiation.

"I see, I see. Tyradorians are hardcore atheists but their so-called humanity and discipline is quite commendable."

He then remembered something that he learned about Tyradorian history.

"Oh, but I will still hunt her."

"What?" Kawashiro asked. Her eyes narrowed as she felt disgusted by the blunt confession of the alien.

"She is a black magician and is harmful to us. Just now, you said that she could not cause any damage to our planet. Well then, should I tell you a story the dangers of a black magician?"

"The dangers of a dark magician?" Kochiya asked.

Duruk smiled and continued.

"Wait…wasn't your home world Atlantis destroyed due to religious fanatics who believed themselves to be magicians? That is what we, servants of the Meringian Cathedral think when we talk about black magic and its practitioners."

Of course, black magic in the definition of the Meringian Cathedral was very wide.

It was all forms of magic that used any system or base different from the one taught by the Cathedral. It included all forms of magic other than magic based on the Cathedral.

"It is heresy, a nuisance and a dark existence that could only be purified either through annihilation or baptism."

"Annihilation or baptism?" asked Nitori further. "What are you trying to imply here?"

Kawashiro knew the answer to that question. However, she was just trying to delay the man by extending the conversation.

"Ah, surely you know what that means," the alien replied.

He knew the purpose Kawashiro asked the question.

"But if I still need to say it, so be it. There is only two option for her: to be executed to death and have her existence erased, or be purified by joining us as a loyal, devout servant of the Cathedral. That is done by converting her pagan, inferior religion to the worship of Deoh."

Kochiya and Kawashiro twitched their lips while Duruk's lips curled upwards in exhilaration.

"Deoh is willing to accept repentance from anyone who wishes for true salvation."

As Duruk finished his sentence, Kawashiro twitched her lips in annoyance.

Duruk simply curled his lips upwards.

"Interested to be one of us, atheist?"

"What kind of disgusting religion is this?" Kochiya asked. "Coercing people to…"

"You mongrels and annoying atheists. What do you know about Deoh?" Duruk continued. "You heretics. Don't mock the omnipotent Deoh with your disgusting materialistic knowledge."

Meringians believed in a monotheistic, omnipotent deity known as Deoh. They believed that Deoh was the only, true God that created the omniverse and its wonders and gave his blessings to those who worship Him.

The religion of Deoh has been around for millions of years.

The religion has existed before Yagokoro Eirin was born and was officially 'perfected' a few thousand years after the Confederation of Tyrador was established in the Sector when the Meringian Cathedral came into power.

It was through the belief in Deoh that the whole Meringian society was built.

A practical theocracy known as the Meringian Cathedral centered at the home world of the Meringian worlds, Mering ruled over the Meringian civilization.

"The purpose of the Meringian Cathedral is to rule over all magic and religious practitioners. There is nothing above Deoh and the Papal is His Vice-Ruler. The sin of rejecting Deoh is big, but the sin of rejecting Deoh and choosing fake, polytheistic gods over Him is even greater. Anyone doing anything in the name of gods other than Deoh are worshippers of the devil. As for the false gods, those that dared to give blessings and curses, answer the transient beings' prayers, gather faith, rule over domains or worlds, and judge people following their own sets of black and whites are devils that must be executed."

That was the mindset of the elitist clergyman of the Meringian Cathedral. To Duruk, there was no other religion or faith other than the faith to Deoh and the Cathedral.

All other faiths were nothing more than devil worship and must be erased from existence at all costs. Only the religion of Deoh was the true religion.

"We, the Executioners specialize in exterminating both false gods and their followers. I myself have slayed six thousand false gods and executed more than a million black magicians."

Duruk grinned as he muttered that sentence. He felt that it was an accomplishment for him to execute as many polytheistic gods and their followers as he could.

"This is crazy," muttered Sanae.

Kawashiro nodded.

"So, will you hand over the dark magician? If she accepted Deoh wholeheartedly, then she will be spared after being taught about His Divine Grace."

The situation and the words muttered by the alien was crazy enough.

Kochiya wanted to land her hardened fist on that alien's face badly.

She realized the issue behind this incident.

There were idiots that wanted to force their ideologies upon other people.

They believed themselves to be the righteous and would do anything to force their 'truths' upon other people by hook or by crook.

She however could not accept such method. To be honest, the current Kochiya Sanae knew nothing about religion.

Religion was something that she learned in history and philosophy classes. She knew nothing about religion other than those mentioned in her textbooks.

Yet, it was not right to force someone to believe in something that could not be proven with any evidence. Was there any compelling evidence that Deoh indeed created the world?

She knew that the Tyradorian government was as lunatic as the magician standing before her. The government would execute anyone who believed in any religion or god.

In that case, the Confederation of Tyrador and the Meringian Cathedral were just like each other.

Yet, she had no power to change the government's approach as a person without support from others. A mere human could not stand up to a superpower government that possessed the strength to silence any opposition without help and support from fellow citizens.

Nor could she raise her fist against the powerful Meringian Cathedral as an institution that stood at the same level as the Confederation. It would be terribly idiotic for her to do so.

However, she could stop this magician from forcing his ideas on other people.

Or so she thought.

"His Divine Grace?" Kochiya asked. "What kind of divinity gives his grace after threatening to kill someone?"

"Deoh can do anything he likes and He needs not to play by the rules. He is the Creator and Destroyer, the ruler of all. Every existence in the omniverse is beneath Him."

Kochiya and Kawashiro looked at each other and nodded.

At that time, they realized something.

No word could penetrate the alien's mind. There was no room for negotiation.

"I still can't accept your nonsense and no, we won't hand her to you."

"Very well," the alien replied. His lips were curled upwards and a malicious aura could be felt.

Kochiya and Kawashiro distanced themselves from the alien. They could sense the hostile atmosphere in the area.

"I am not supposed to harm any Tyradorian in this mission…" the alien muttered, "But this can be considered as an exception. You irreligious bigots can pray to science and ask it to give salvation from Deoh's wrath when your existences are removed from the omniverse."

Kochiya's right arm were tightened.

The term 'lunatics' came into her mind.

The fact that someone would actually decide to go as far as killing someone else just for the sake of 'protecting' an institution that could never be challenged by a mere human was unimaginable.

"Nitori…" the greenhead muttered, "take her away. I feel like releasing some stress today."

Kawashiro nodded. She understood what it meant and ran right into the house.

"Do you actually think that I'll let that magician pass?" Duruk asked.

Kochiya closed the gap between herself and the magician.

She was only seven meters away from the magician.

"Again…I must apologize for the inconvenience and do not blame this on me. I too, wish for peace. Yet, this must be done."

Kochiya understood what the alien meant.

"Boreas."

The alien muttered only one word.

Yet, the instant he finished his word, powerful streams of air flew from in front of him towards every possible direction.

Despite that, it did not seem like that. It seemed more like a giant explosion that blew the woman away from the magician.

Kochiya was pushed back by a few meters and felt a cold shiver running through her spine.

(But this is not winter…?) she thought.

The wind was no different from a freezing wind during winter that froze anything in its way.

At the same time, Kochiya thought about something.

This irregular phenomenon called magic; would the God Killer be able to erase it?

She might have negated Shirayuki's flame, but the Meringian's magic spell was of a different system.

Would her ability really work against Meringian spells?

(I just need to try and see how it works, then!)

A few meters away from the greenhead, a certain magician could be seen smiling.

His smile was an arrogant declaration of victory.

"Boreas. In the name of Deoh who rules over the wind, I cast you to imprison His enemies and place their souls in eternal slumber!"

Duruk moved his arm in a linear motion from top to bottom as if he was chopping something with his arm.

Another powerful wind exploded in all directions.

"Aha. Is this some kind of a freezing planet now?"

The green ground was turned into a mini-Artic land with ice covering the house.

Everything around the house were covered by thick ice. It was just like a house in Siberia during winter.

A thick fog covered the region

Duruk looked around. It was night at a weekend thus he doubted that Tyradorians would be relaxing inside their homes. Yet, he needed to ensure that no one truly saw what he did.

All witnesses must be silenced at any cost.

As for Kochiya, the alien felt that there was no requirement for him to check on the woman. He was certain that the greenhead was already turning into ice that would melt slowly during the day with her body malfunctioning.

All that was left regarding Kochiya Sanae was her soul. And Duruk would exterminate her soul as well.

"Hmm…you did well for an idiot. But this is as far as you go, atheist. Your pitiful existence stops here," he muttered. After turning his head towards the house, the man looked at the thick fog that covered Kochiya Sanae.

"Now, it is time to erase your friend and the devil worshipper."

"Oh?"

It was a simple word. Indeed, it was.

There was nothing significant about that word. It was not a magical incantation nor was it a type of high-impact words that influencers and politicians used.

Yet, it was enough to freeze the magician for a few seconds. He was not caught in his wind spell, yet he froze.

In that freezing area, a cold sweat dripped from the magician. The area cold yet the alien sweated.

The ground was frozen except for the area surrounding Kochiya.

And the greenhead stood.

Unharmed. There was no sign of the woman being frozen by his wind. Other than that, the woman slightly shivered and looked around her house that was covered with ice.

It was an unfathomable incident. The greenhead should have been turned into a human ice. The wind that was -273.15 degrees Celsius should have halted the movement of any particle beyond the minimal energy held by particles due to quantum interactions.

The alien then remembered.

He was inside the Confederation of Tyrador. He was inside the stronghold of the science side that developed supernatural abilities in every citizen without exception.

"Are you sure that you can simply freeze me in such a pathetic manner?" Kochiya asked. "You should try again, failure."

The house's temperature regulation system immediately heated the ground as it detected a sudden change in temperature.

Duruk could feel the increasing warmth coming from the ground he stepped on, and frowned.

"A psychic ability?" the alien deduced. "This can be troublesome."

"Really, what am I hesitating about?" Kochiya replied. "I can even kill God. I won't be affected by this stupid magic trick of yours."

After all, she wielded the power to destroy the supernatural and kill the omnipotent.

Duruk merely narrowed her eyes in irritation as he heard the greenhead claiming that she could kill God. Deoh was absolute, there was nothing that could kill Him.

She then moved forward as the ice melted and the water being evaporated from the ground. It caused the whole region to be covered with white fog.

With every step she took, the alien moved back by a centimeter.

Kochiya looked around and saw nobody besides herself and the enemy.

Kawashiro must have escaped through another passageway since the greenhead did not notice her coming out through the front door.

"I'll PULVERIZE YOU, HUMAN! The air is the harbinger of destruction!"

A gust of wind travelled through a linear direction while whirling like a drill.

The wind was powerful enough to turn anything in its way into nothingness. This was not a simple hypothesis.

The ground that was mixed with water and melting ice were scattered in various directions and cracks could be seen.

Even then, Kochiya's reaction has been simple.

She did not attempt to run or hide anywhere. Nor did she jump or bend her body.

She simply raised her right hand. That was all.

As soon as the wind contacted that miraculous hand that could even destroy the miracles of God, it was erased.

The magician stepped back.

"What was that ability?" the alien muttered. He was shocked. It was obvious from his facial expression.

The powerful gust of wind that could reduce even a wandering soul into nothingness dissipated and lost its energy.

"Heh. Was that it?"

Kochiya walked forward without minding the shattered ground. Courage has just returned to her.

She has been hesitant due to her inexperience with handling the enemies using a set of laws different from the one she knew. However, that would not hinder her now.

She moved.

At the same time, the baffled magician stepped back.

The enemy before the magician was a female human.

If you punched her, she would feel pain and if she was sliced, she would bleed.

Even if she was Tyradorian, she was undoubtedly still human. She was not an immortal being with some weird superpower.

"What?!"

But how could a human withstand a freezing temperature of absolute zero? It was impossible for anyone to imagine it.

And how did she manage to turn his drill of death into a mere breeze? Was she even human in that sense?

"The air is the harbinger of destruction!"

The alien thought that the greenhead was a monster in a human body.

Again, a powerful gust of wind drilled its way towards Kochiya.

In response, Kochiya used her right hand.

That was all it took for the magician to confirm that the woman was using a weird type of ability.

 _Did she use a magic interference system? That's impossible…she's not a magician!_

Magic interference system was a type of mass-effect spell that could nullify the effects of magic by interfering the enemy's magic with the interferer's own magical energy. It was like a signal jammer that used the concept of wave interference to disturb and fail signals being sent.

Duruk immediately dismissed the thought of Kochiya using magic or magic interference system.

It was impossible for that woman to be using magic in the city of science. If she was, then Duruk's magic detection device would have picked up the signal.

In addition to that, Duruk has casted two different spells. To cast a magic interference spell, the magician was required to understand the mechanism behind the targeted magic. Different spells have different interference patterns, thus only extremely skilled magicians could pull off major interferences.

In fact, it was theoretically impossible for magicians to cast an omni-interception magic.

To interfere with all magic was to understand and cast all magic.

Such beings need not interfere with any magic spell.

In fact, such beings would have obtained the capability to cast extremely potent spells that could even twist and change the foundations of the omniverse.

Such spells could change the value of 1+1, change the universal laws of gravitation from an inversed square relationship to a direct relationship between force and distance, resurrect the dead and break and twist the conceptual laws such as causality, boundary, logic, immortality, existence and infinity with an absolute, unchallenged decree that no other ability or spell could reverse these changes.

Anyone who has mastered all magic to the extent of entering the domain of the omnipotent God was known as a Magic God. This being would be unchallenged in the domain of magic and a Magic God rules over all of Magic.

Of course, the Meringian Cathedral could not accept the existence of a Magic God that defied and defiled the concept of Deoh.

A mortal could never attain omnipotence no matter how hard the effort has been. Magic was meant to be a blessing from Deoh and not a means to challenge Him.

But Kochiya did not seem to be using magic. Thus, Duruk rejected the idea of Kochiya being a Magic God or anything close to that.

Duruk attacked Kochiya by casting another spell that immediately became nothing as soon as it contacted the woman's right hand.

That right hand was not powered with any magic, nor was it supplied with the ability of the deities residing within the Moriya shrine.

Then, why?

That thought made that magician shiver.

Who was the enemy before him? Was it a monster in the form of a human? Anyway, Duruk felt an oozing sensation of nervousness, fear and confusion.

"You will definitely be nothing more than a stain on the ground!"

As the alien said that, Kochiya grinned.

"In the name of Deoh, I cast the king of devils into oblivion!"

A large circle that glowed a bluish light expanded beneath Duruk's legs.

Kochiya continued and charged forward.

From within the circle, a gigantic hand that was five meters tall and six meters in width appeared from the soil. It seemed that the hand was made from the soil within the magic circle, as the hand continued to gather the soil surrounding it to strengthen its composition.

The hand of death charged towards Kochiya at the speed of a bullet flying towards its target as if it was swatting a fly.

"Out of my way, magician."

Kochiya replied as she swung her right hand and destroyed the gigantic formation that was a mass of dirt, soil and grass.

The gigantic structure crumbled and fell into pieces.

Instead of running forward, Kochiya leapt back to avoid the mass of dirt from hitting her. Somehow, she felt that she had to retreat rather than going forward towards the enemy.

The greenhead could see the magician smiling maliciously through the gaps of the falling dirt.

The mass of dirt and soil that has fallen on the ground reconstructed itself. Literally.

This time, it took the form of a giant fist that directly smashed itself towards the ground.

The impact from the collision between the fist and the ground created cracks and mini craters everywhere.

Kochiya had to jump to move forward.

Yet, that was not the last of the attack from the giant fist.

Numerous sharp-edged stones were fired from the giant fist towards Kochiya. The greenhead could not count the exact figure but she could estimate the bullets to be more than two hundred stones.

"Enjoy your last dinner, human."

 **Part 4**

Kochiya Sanae and Duruk.

The human and the Meringian was fighting against each other.

The situation seemed skewed to the magician's favor; every time Kochiya dispelled an attack there would be more bullets coming towards her.

The magician merely folded his arm and looked at his enemy with a look of satisfaction.

One could tell from the grim look of his eyes that he was thoroughly enjoying this moment. The clergyman enjoyed tormented the weak and strong alike. The only requisite for the alien was that his enemies must be declared as nemesis of the Cathedral.

He would not scratch anyone that believed in Deoh as the supreme creator but everyone else was fair game to him. He cared not about those with different religion from him; this mindset of his has been dyed by the Cathedral ever since he was recruited as a clergy.

While the magician stood without any sign of being worried, Kochiya was moving nimbly as she tried to reach her enemy.

She carefully avoided the bullets like a seasoned veteran in a Spell Card game while her eyes were focused at her target. Somehow, she felt as if she had dodged bullets in a similar fashion before.

Occasionally, she would bend her knees and at other times she would jump to avoid the bullets from hitting her.

One of the stones sliced through her coat as the woman avoided the attack from hitting her elbow directly.

Another stone almost sliced through Kochiya's right cheek.

"!"

The greenhead raised her guard against the countless bullets shooting towards her.

"Not bad. However, I believe that this can be settled without any bloodshed, Tyradorian."

Duruk again spoke with a commanding tone. It was true that he had the upper hand in this scenario.

His fear has turned to an emotion of excitement and amusement. Oppressing other people was his favorite hobby.

"The condition is simple. Hand over the dark magician and we will compensate you and this house of yours. Consider this a mercy from me and the Cathedral."

Kochiya decided to ignore the offer. She could not think of any reason to agree with the alien.

"What if I refuse?" she asked.

The alien grinned. To be honest, he preferred that Kochiya rejected his offer. That way, he could kill the annoying greenhead and the magician along with her.

"Then, so be it. Be buried in front of your house as I execute you and use that irreligious soul of yours as a source of power for myself. Behold, atheist! Witness the power of Deoh and correct that immature soul of yours!"

(Use your brain, Sanae!)

The greenhead continued to jump and negated some of the bullets with her right hand.

However, she knew that the game of negating bullets would never end.

For one time, she thought that the magician was cheating like a gamer that applied cheat codes to ease his victory.

"This is unfair!" she shouted. "The occult is really unfair!"

(What sort of ability is this alien using?)

Kochiya now realized that she was fighting someone who was using a set of laws different from science.

She knew that she would be facing some oddities, but she did not expect the oddities to be overwhelmingly different from her own expectation.

"What's wrong? Where the hell is your confidence from before?" asked the alien. "Have you decided to join the Cathedral?"

Kochiya merely ignored the provocation from the alien.

Instead, she extended her right arm and touched the giant arm that has been shooting bullets towards her.

As expected, the giant fist crumbled onto the ground again.

Kochiya used the opportunity to charge forward and rushed towards the alien.

However, the smile on the alien's face remained.

"!"

Kochiya felt a large movement on the ground beneath her.

"You have stepped into your graveyard, human."

The giant arm rematerialized and grabbed Kochiya from beneath the ground.

"Tch!"

The giant hand crumbled yet again as it contacted the right hand and the greenhead landed on the ground.

This time Kochiya's white coat was covered in dirt.

If she negated the giant fist that became the origin of the endless bullets, she might be able to secure a few seconds without any bullet.

(That fist will regenerate after I remove my right hand!)

She leapt backwards by ten meters.

At the same time, another fist came from the ground.

The giant fist then reached for the greenhead.

As it moved, it created a strikingly loud sound that could shatter the eardrums of any listener.

"The occult is nothing more than a cheat!" Kochiya shouted.

Unlike psychic abilities that could be explained through scientific equations, Kochiya knew nothing about the mechanism behind magic.

Was there any set of laws that governed the occult?

Kochiya honestly knew nothing about the answer.

Thus, she could only do one thing to prolong the battle.

Run. That was the specialty that Kochiya has developed in this planet.

"Is that so? I'm sorry to disappoint you," Duruk muttered casually, "Running away won't help you…"

As the alien spoke, another giant circle manifested on the ground.

This time, another giant hand grew from the ground that Kochiya was stepping on.

The greenhead was forced to jump away from the hand towards the ground. Unlike her former self, she did not possess the ability to fly. Thus, escaping the ground was the hardest hurdle for the greenhead.

Even if she jumped a few dozen meters above the ground, gravity would eventually pull her down. She could not overcome the fundamental force of nature in her current state.

"Dammit!"

While Kochiya rushed out of her house, the alien took his steps slowly.

He seemed relaxed unlike Kochiya.

"I am coming, my dear atheist. Time for salvation."

With every step the alien took, the giant hand moved faster. The magic circle that was the foundation of the magic spell followed the giant hand.

The giant hand shattered the ground as it chased Kochiya like a missile that has been locked to chase a target.

(Calm down, Kochiya Sanae. That thing must have a weakness!)

She then noticed something.

(Wait…weakness?)

 **Part 5**

The giant fist slammed itself to the ground and created a roar that was almost impossible for anyone in the residential area to not hear the sound.

It was as if Thor has descended and decided to destroy the whole region by slamming his hammer of terror.

There was a large crater caused by the impact of the giant fist.

Kochiya managed to escape the direct hit from the giant fist. However, there were some scratches on her coat, and her neck tie was sliced into two pieces.

"DAMN YOU! Crap, I need to buy another tie after this!" Kochiya shouted autonomously. "Do you know how valuable this neck tie is?! Professor Rikako bought this as a present for me when I got my first job!"

The greenhead could not help but to feel a little annoyed as she looked at her neck tie.

The Meringian found it interesting and laughed.

"I am about to execute you and you could still be furious after witnessing your neck tie being sliced into two?" the alien asked. "You are an interesting human! Never have I met anyone as removed from common sense as you!"

Kochiya then realized that she was in a battlefield and not a silly fight. She was not supposed to be thinking about a mere neck tie.

In the battlefield, survival was the most important thing. Weapons were important, but survival was of primary importance. If a weapon malfunctioned or was destroyed, a soldier still need to ensure his or her own survival.

If a soldier was captured by the enemy force, the soldier had to obey the enemy if no military secrets were exposed. It was a rule to ensure the person's survival.

Kochiya knew this rule of thumb, but it seemed that she was easily distracted by something else. Perhaps living as an ordinary civilian numbed her battle sense.

"Eh?" the greenhead muttered.

The alien was right. Why was she concerned about a neck tie when the alien was attempting to end her life?

(Tch! Anyway, I was thinking about that damn thing's weakness!)

Kochiya recalled the very thing she should be doing and continued moving forward.

"Oh, well. I loathe waiting."

As the Meringian finished his sentence, another powerful blow went towards Kochiya.

The giant fist opened and moved downwards as if it was swatting an insect on the ground.

The alien named Duruk no longer cared if he was seen by other Tyradorians. He was simply concerned about exterminating the vermin named Kochiya Sanae.

"This mad man! I thought he was supposed to be an undercover agent!" Kochiya muttered.

(Anyway…the circle beneath the whatever hand it is…why is following the giant hand?)

Kochiya thought of something.

(Is it a type of support system that allows the manifestation of that thing?)

Kochiya knew nothing about magic, however she realized something important about that field of knowledge.

It was not an omnipotent type of knowledge that could be casted like in RPGs that she played with Jade and Kawashiro.

It was a type of ability that was bounded to its own set of laws and rules just like how psychic abilities were bounded to its own set of laws.

(Should I try it?)

She would use her right hand against the glowing circle on the ground instead of the hand that was used as the weapon.

Without wasting any time, the greenhead lowered her body to the cracked ground.

"What?" Duruk muttered. He was pleasantly surprised by Kochiya's action as he thought that Kochiya decided to surrender herself.

"Do you want to be erased that badly now?" he asked. "Do not worry. This clergyman is an expert in exterminating vermin like you!"

The excited alien pointed his right arm towards Kochiya.

"GET LOST, HUMAN!"

The alien's voice roared loudly in the dark sky.

The giant hand immediately moved towards Kochiya's body as if it was responding to Duruk's command.

WHOOSH!

The gigantic hand slapped the ground.

A loud roar could be heard and the ground was shattered.

The impact caused by this attack was several times more powerful than the previous attacks.

Pieces of asphalt road flew everywhere into other people's home from the sheer impact of the destruction. It was literally the sound and power of destruction.

Duruk almost thought that it was impossible for Tyradorians inside the residential area to not listen to the sound of the earth shattering and the pieces of asphalt flying for several kilometers.

Thick fog from the asphalt and ground covered the entire region. It blocked Duruk's sight once again.

Tyrador was a Pure Land and its structures were especially hardened. Not even the impact of nuclear weapons, the full power of onis or lunarians' purifying weapons could cause a dent on Tyradorian structures.

However, the Meringian's magic has crushed the road easily.

From afar, Duruk simply grinned and walked forward.

The woman had taken a full impact of the giant hand's true attacking power. She should have been turned into minced human meat.

"Time for inspection…although this time, I doubt that I could see a human figure out of this."

He walked on the palm of the giant hand that was still on the ground.

He looked at the ground carefully.

As an executioner for the Cathedral, he was a thorough person.

His past experiences led him to become someone who would always cross-check everything before verifying any result.

In other words, he would not be satisfied until he saw compelling evidence that the woman has already been turned into minced meat with his own naked eyes.

But then, he felt a sense of displease.

"?!"

The giant hand crumbled, and the magician leapt backwards.

"WHAT?!"

Unlike the previous attempts where the hand would automatically regenerate upon being destroyed, the giant hand returned to the ground without being regenerated.

"What the hell is this?!"

He looked down.

The magic circle disappeared.

The magic circle that has been the foundation that supported the arm's existence with his magic power was no longer on the ground.

"That bitch!"

He turned back and his face paled.

A certain human with green hairs stood just three meters away from him.

A certain greenhead covered in dirt grinned.

There were traces of stones and asphalt on her. There were scratches on her face.

Even so, the woman was smiling devilishly.

Her fist was tightly clenched.

"Y-Y-You should've been turned into minced meat!" the alien shouted.

He stepped back as he prepared to cast another spell.

But Kochiya immediately leapt towards the alien.

The distance between them were no more than a meter. The alien was within Kochiya's range.

"In the name of Deoh, I cast away-!"

Kochiya raised her right hand.

That miraculous right hand that was both a curse and a blessing, a miracle yet a point of misfortune, something magical yet existed in the world of science, something that defied common sense yet existed in the realm of common sense.

The right hand that could kill the omnipotent God.

It might be useless in the Psychic Development Curriculum. It might be useless in her career. It might only function as a normal hand unlike other people's hands that could fire psychic energy, beams of light or any weird power.

Even so, there were other useful uses of that right hand.

For instance, punching the alien in front of her.

"I loather waiting, so here I come!" Kochiya shouted.

As soon as she finished her sentence, her right fist landed right on the Meringian's face.

She poured all her might on the alien's face and colorless liquid came out from the man's face.

The alien could not finish his incantation. Kochiya would not let that man to.

"This is for trying to kill other people!"

She grabbed the alien with her left hand and lifted her right hand once again.

"And this is for causing a ruckus here, you freako!"

Another powerful blow landed on the alien's face again.

This time, Kochiya released her grip from the magician.

The magician's body rotated in a circular fashion and bounced several times after hitting the ground.

Afterwards, the magician rested on the ground with his consciousness absent.

"Man, I overdid it."

Kochiya looked around and sighed.

"I guess I should really call Kotohime now," the greenhead muttered to herself.


	5. Chapter 4: Deception

**Chapter 4: DECEPTION**

 **Part 1**

Under the dark sky of Tyrador, numerous flying spaceship-like vehicles could be seen flying over Kochiya's house.

The spaceships resembled jets with loadable missile launcher, two plasma sentry guns attached at its two wings and small compartments of high-energy reactors that supplied energy to the ships.

Sirens filled the sky replacing the loud roars that were caused by the magician Duruk.

On the ground, there were twenty people; twelve men and eight women wearing black coats, white dress shirts, various colored neck ties and black pants with black, shiny shoes stood while doing their respective tasks.

There were tags hanging on the chest of every person in the awkwardly similar attire.

Each tag was written with the title 'Prosecutor of the Confederation'.

The prosecutors of the Confederation were government servants working for the Prosecutors Office; a government agency that served as the law enforcement, domestic and foreign intelligence and counter-intelligence and special operations agency.

Despite being a civilian agency, the agents of the Prosecutors Office were trained as special forces operatives in the military while having to learn criminology and law. The dropout rate of prosecutor training was even higher than the most elite military unit training in Tyrador due to the sheer workload of being trained as a special force agent and being taught with heavy subjects such as law and criminology with the requirement to pass the bar examination before being accepted as a prosecutor.

It was said that the prosecutors were an organization of former special force officers and the Prosecutors Office was dubbed as a branch of Tyradorian military. This claim was supported by the fact that the Prosecutors Office handled machineries and weapons that were also used by the military.

As a former soldier herself, Kochiya could not help but salute the officers as they walked passed her.

The prosecutors gave the vibe of elite veterans that have been involved in a lot of battles. Even as they witnessed the damage on the ground, they handled every single job calmly in a professional manner.

The prosecutors replied the salutation and continued with their work.

One of the prosecutors, a male wore metallic gloves and touched around the crater that has been created from the impact of Duruk's magic.

The metallic glove was a Psychometric Analysis device.

The psychic device was preprogrammed with Psychometry, an ability to glean through information from objects. However, the information was extracted carefully to avoid any loss due to unseen circumstances. It applied psychic technology and complex theories derived from information theory.

Once the information has been collected, it would be analyzed to give an idea of anything that happened in the region like a simulation of past events based on available information.

However, there was a woman with a strikingly different outfit. Unlike the twenty people in black, she was wearing a red coat and a red neck tie that resonated perfectly with her hair and eyes.

Kochiya merely looked at the woman nervously as another prosecutor briefed her with a report about the ongoing investigation.

"Is there anything else to fill me in?" the woman in red asked.

"No, Director."

The other prosecutor shook his head and returned to his job.

The woman looked around and twitched her lips.

(This fucking idiot Duruk. Just because we gave him the green light, doesn't mean that he should cause a ruckus like this and attack an unrelated citizen. I am so going to beat the hell out of Duruk and Kohor for this shit.)

The red-haired woman then turned her attention to Kochiya Sanae.

The greenhead gulped her saliva as she saw the prosecutor's serious expression.

Usually, the prosecutor would be extremely friendly and ridiculous around Kawashiro, Jade and herself to the extent that the three thought that the prosecutor was weird.

However, the three women knew that the prosecutor was undoubtedly serious as a prosecutor in action.

"Prosecutor Kotohime…" Kochiya mumbled.

To be more accurate, the woman in red was someone of high ranking.

She was the Director of the Extraordinary Cases and Emergency Response Unit that was based in the headquarters of the Prosecutors Office.

It was a small unit of 100 agents and 200 supporting workers that ensured the success of the unit. Even in the Prosecutors Office, Kotohime's unit was the smallest unit but it required the highest security clearance that even the Prosecutor General, the head of all prosecutors in the Confederation required Kotohime's permission to access the space reserved for the unit.

It was a special unit that possessed its own autonomy from the bureaucracy of the Prosecutors Office under Kotohime's leadership and an independent budget that was given directly by the government. The only relationship the unit has with the Prosecutors Office was the fact that its agents were prosecutors that received special training and gave information it deemed necessary to be shared with other prosecutors in extenuating situations.

Only the Chancellor and the President of the Confederation, the two highest rulers of the planet were given access to enter the unit's building with the highest clearance.

It was because that unit handled unique cases that involved the knowledge of the occult and the supernatural abilities stemming from the field of knowledge that diverged from the scientific knowledge that the Confederation of Tyrador boasted.

Namely, magic.

The unit was responsible of annihilating magicians and occultists that threatened the stability of the Confederation and silencing any religious groups that were trying to grow or expand its influence inside Tyrador.

These missions were considered as highest level sensitive information that neither ordinary politicians, the top brass of the military or other prosecutors were allowed access to.

Other than that, the prosecutors from the Extraordinary Cases and Emergency Response Unit also investigated ordinary cases if necessary and if there were no situations involving magicians in the planet.

As the leader of the unit that kept Tyrador safe from magicians, Kotohime cursed in her heart.

The prosecutor was furious at the alien. If possible, she wanted to give a painful torture to the alien and send him to the Matrix for his reckless actions that gave trouble to herself.

Despite that, she smiled at the greenhead and hid her real whirlpool of emotions cautiously.

"Hmm," the prosecutor continued. "Do you really mean what you mean just now? This Meringian is using a psychic ability…or magic as he called it, whatever it is and attacked you?"

Despite Kotohime being extremely familiar with magic, she continued to hide the fact that she was aware of magic in front of Kochiya.

Instead, every time Kochiya used the term 'magic' Kotohime would reply with the phrase 'psychic ability'.

Somehow, Kochiya understood how Shirayuki felt whenever Kotohime corrected Kochiya's usage of the term 'magic' with 'psychic ability'.

But, Kochiya had a feeling that Kotohime knew about magic and purposely feigned ignorance although she knew not about the prosecutor's real identity.

If that was the case, then it must have been a high-level confidential knowledge that was kept hidden from the masses. The reason behind the secrecy was obvious.

The world of Tyrador was built on the notion of science and psychic abilities.

If the people knew about magic, the foundation of Tyrador that was science would be shattered into pieces.

"Sanae," the prosecutor muttered, "Leave this case to us. You have done enough by giving us the information. We'll take the alien for further investigation and solve this case of terrorism ourselves. But as a witness, you'll have to follow us. Please cooperate with our investigation."

Kochiya was left with no other option.

The greenhead merely nodded.

 **Part 2**

At the same time, a certain blue-haired woman who was quite short for a Tyradorian was carrying a certain injured woman behind her.

The woman's injuries were closed but it still required delicate care. It could open back at any time if she was reckless.

"Do you even know who your enemy was?"

The woman that rested behind Kawashiro replied with a casual 'no'.

It was an expected response. She was someone that originated from a world 127,000 light years away from the Sector and she lived in a solitary world that was separated from other worlds. Even then, her solitary lifestyle made her even isolated from everything else.

"Those aliens are known as Meringians. They come from a planet quite nearby to the Sector," Kawashiro explained.

The bluehead continued running away as she said that.

Shirayuki gave a weak nod.

"Usually, they don't really cause that much trouble to us…"

Everything made sense to Shirayuki.

She must have entered Meringian space and used her magic in the Meringians' territories.

The aliens picked up her magic signal that was different from their own magic signals and decided that there was an irregularity that threatened their world.

She understood how the aliens managed to track her down.

(There is a totally interesting universe outside the solar system) the lunarian thought.

Even though she was injured, she found everything to be an interesting adventure.

She thought that it was a pity for the lunarians to simply remain in the small shell known as the lunar capital and refused to explore the secrets of the universe.

Yet, the lunarians declared that the capital was a paradise and called themselves the best in the universe. It was just plain ignorance and stupidity.

If anything, the capital was a fake paradise.

Something else went on Kawashiro's mind.

Kawashiro pondered. What was the reason that justified aliens from another planet to hunt over a woman over unknown, trivial issues?

Duruk's answer was too extreme to be accepted as an answer. Kawashiro hoped that there would another satisfactory answer to fulfill her curiosity.

"Anyway, those people are religious freaks! How did you get yourself involved with them?"

"I don't know…they suddenly attacked my spaceship and hunted me," Shirayuki replied.

She recalled that the European continent of Earth used to have witch hunts launched by the Roman Catholic Church, executed by the governments of European countries and later, the Protestant Churches during the Rationalists Age when the likes of Newton and Descartes lived.

Anyone that was suspected of practicing any form of magic would be suspected as a black magician that would be burned by executors under the name of the Church or State.

In the Middle East and Eastern Europe under the occupation of the Islamic Caliphate, similar situations happened. Magicians were executed by beheading in the Islamic state as it was a part of Islamic canon law as believed by Muslims.

Shirayuki was a lunarian thus she was not personally involved in the state of affairs of Europe and the Middle East back then. However, unlike most lunarians that viewed Earth with disgust, the lunarian viewed Earth with an honest interest to humanity.

She even visited Earth and contacted humans at times simply to interact and understand the point of view of humans of a certain time despite not maintaining any close relationship to anyone.

 _Perhaps the leaders of the Meringian Cathedral behaved in the same way as the Roman Catholic Church and the states under the influence of Abrahamic religions back in those days,_ Shirayuki thought.

"A-Anyway! Those aliens are undeniably super-religious obsessionists so you should stay away from them! Or else they'll shove their religion to you!"

The lunarian understood the religious obsession more than anyone in Tyrador would except for a select few.

Her own kind that was obsessed with purity to the fact that it became a religion by its own, the Earthlings that waged religious wars over holy lands in the name of religion and the oppression of the religion practiced by the majority on the minorities.

She witnessed every single religious obsession with her own eyes. She understood the motivation behind religious obsessions by zealots.

Even then, the lunarian replied with a faint smile despite knowing that the blue-haired woman carrying her could not see it.

"You know…" the lunarian muttered weakly, "you were right back then."

"?"

Kawashiro understood not the meaning behind Shirayuki's words.

"If you have handed me over to them, then you wouldn't have to be in this mess."

Kawashiro bit her lips.

"Oi. Are you being nihilistic right now?"

"I'm old enough to die without any regret," Shirayuki replied.

The lunarian was truly conveying her emotions and thought about the reason she struggled to escape from the Meringians.

If she surrendered and allowed the Meringians to execute her, her misery would end quickly.

But then, another thought came.

If she gave up too quickly, then how would she explore the universe as she yearned to?

As such, she removed the thought of giving up too quickly.

 _I am truly an idiot_ , Shirayuki told herself.

"Umm...Shirayuki, don't you have any healing magic or anything close to that?" Kawashiro asked.

The reason Kawashiro asked that was due to the nature of Tyradorian healthcare system.

The healthcare system was free for all Tyradorians and tourists alike; anyone who entered Tyrador legally would be given an excellent-class treatment with zero cost.

However, the Confederation of Tyrador fundamentally disliked outsiders that were not registered as citizens of this planet nor entered the planet legally as a tourist. To the planet, foreign aliens that did not benefit the Confederation were either spies trying to steal patents of Tyradorian technology or parasites that were trying to leech of others.

Of course, this stereotype extended to corporations and the public as well.

There was no hospital that would be willing to accept an illegal alien as a patient. That was an impossible idea to entertain.

Once the lunarian was admitted, Kawashiro could imagine the swift information regarding the lunarian's identity travelling between hospitals. If they were lucky, hospitals would just turn her down. After all, these hospitals still had to take care of their images as law-abiding institutions.

What if the information went beyond hospitals?

If it went public, people would be exceptionally noisy about the issue.

And the fact that she used magic would attract even more attention from the scientists who were crazy for research awards. Kawashiro could imagine how the scientific community that wielded the most influence in this planet would be split apart because of the lunarian.

Scientists would become nothing more than criminal syndicates that would kill each other for the sake of using that magician in the name of research.

Even without any magic, there were already hidden societies created by scientists that operated in secrecy. These societies conducted experimentations in secret, and the bluehead that had once entered the deep web of secret organizations did not wish to recall anything from the other world.

And if it went to the Meringians' knowledge, the aliens would even attack her in public. The obviously terrible Meringian Cathedral would do anything to annihilate anyone that did not follow the way of Deoh.

Anyway, exposing Shirayuki's existence to this Sector would be detrimental to her own safety. Whether it was Science or Magic, both would bring the lunarian unimaginable suffering.

"If I could use it here, would I be lying on your back like a pathetic damsel in distress now?"

The lunarian replied with an obvious question.

"Ah-Damn it!"

Her mind went blank for a few seconds.

(Just where the hell can I place her safely? And besides…even if I used my ability on her, it doesn't actually mean that her wounds have been closed properly.)

Kawashiro Nitori could manipulate oxidane molecules in any state, solutions and anything besides oxidane in the liquid state.

Yet, no matter how hard she froze Shirayuki's blood, any force strong enough could open the lunarian's wounds again. It was not an issue of ability; it was an issue of water's intrinsic strength and the strength of blood being clotted by fibrin and platelets in thrombosis.

Kawashiro did not have any unique ability that would allow her to change the intrinsic strength of something. She could use some basic psychic abilities and hydrokinesis, but that was all.

No matter how powerful her ability was, she could not perform something that was beyond what her ability dictated.

"Why not bring her to Professor's place?" another voice replied.

Kawashiro recognized that voice almost immediately but removed the possibility of the person truly being around her.

The bluehead simply took it as a delusion coming from her desperation to look for a solution.

"Uh-huh! That's it! Professor's home! Why have I not think about this option beforehand?"

A few hours ago, that scientist professed her faith in magic and the existence of gods and religions. In that case, she would be the most suitable person to ask for sanctuary from.

The scientist named Asakura Rikako would be silent about the lunarian named Shirayuki thus there would be no uproar about an alien magician entering this planet.

For that reason, the scientist was the most suitable person to rely in this situation.

 _Let us hope that she is not busy enough to stop us from barging into her house tonight_ , Kawashiro thought to herself.

Kawashiro rushed forward, but she felt another hand stopping her movement.

"Just let me carry that alien. You're too short to bring her while running. She might fall," the voice continued. "Seriously, that idiot should think thrice."

Kawashiro turned her head to the source of voice and sensation that stopped her.

"…Jade?"

The woman who was absorbed with the delusion of 'Society' that has chased them from the institution known as TIST to their house stood in front of the woman.

"Could it be…did you?" Kawashiro asked.

Was it possible that the woman saw everything with her own eyes?

"Ah, there's no need for explanation," the woman replied. "I saw everything with my own naked eyes."

"…"

Kawashiro remained silent while Jade carried the lunarian.

The lunarian simply gave a confused and panicked look.

"Don't give me that look. I'm not the bad person here."

"We never intended to involve you in this issue," Kawashiro replied.

"I see…" Jade replied. Her voice was weak and filled with an intonation of disappointment. "And I thought there were supposed to be no secrets between us. I feel sad right now, I am about to break out in tears. I accused both of you as agents of the Society while the two of you were fighting them."

Kawashiro glared at the other person with a hostile look.

"That's why I don't want to tell you! This has nothing to do with that imaginary Society of yours!"

Jade grinned and looked at the woman in her hands.

The lunarian looked at Jade with an expression of confusion.

"Oi. You're scaring her," Kawashiro muttered.

"Is that so?" Jade asked directly towards Shirayuki.

The lunarian remained silent.

"Do not worry, injured one. I am the ally of justice, the one chosen by Magna to fight against the devilish Society and its associates, the Meringian Cathedral! I am trustworthy enough to be depended on as an ally, right, my dear Nitori?"

The woman who was obsessed with Magna then laughed like a third-rate villain in movies that was nearing the goal of world domination or the annihilation of humanity.

In response to Jade's awkward reaction, the lunarian trembled in fear and paled.

Shirayuki had a feeling that the woman was even more fearsome than the Meringians that were hunting her.

"Stop it, you idiot!" Kawashiro shouted.

Jade's lips curled upwards, and Shirayuki was reminded by a certain boundary-manipulating youkai that she intercepted and trapped before being dealt with by a certain lunar emissary.

Jade's expression was no different from the youkai's smile. Despite the event passing a thousand years ago, Jade would never forget the expression.

Yet, the human ignored Shirayuki's expression and looked at Kawashiro.

"Oh, Nitori. Let's go to Professor Rikako's house now. The faster, the better. Right?"

 **Part 3**

Asakura Rikako.

The name was written on a holographic board that was tangible. It was written in the Tyradorian alphabet system, but even Shirayuki could read and surprisingly understand the name.

"Why do the names here sound Japanese?" the lunarian asked.

Kochiya Sanae, Kawashiro Nitori and Asakura Rikako. They were undoubtedly Japanese names.

Of course, there were exceptions such as Jade. However, the lunarian found it surprising that there were Japanese names being used in the planet that was located 127,000 light years from Earth.

Have Tyradorians developed a parallel naming culture that had similarities to Earth naming systems despite located in a distant world? Or perhaps there were similar words that appeared as coincidence in many different languages despite the races being isolated geographically?

That was an interesting idea to be studied in the field of linguistics. However, Shirayuki was not a linguist and decided to not overthink about those possibilities.

"So, we finally arrived here."

Kawashiro and Jade were certain that they were standing in front of the scientist's house.

After fifteen minutes of sweaty running while ignoring the reaction of most people that stared at Shirayuki with a stare of curiosity, Kawashiro Nitori and Jade finally arrived.

Even then, the house was obvious despite having a beautifully painted stone wall surrounding the house.

To Earth's standards, Rikako's house would be the likes of house owned by the rich class and the upper-middle class people that earned millions per year. It was a double-store bungalow that was built on 13,500 square feet sized land owned by the scientist.

The house's ground level was painted white with large, clear and rigid window acting as the wall for the front part facing the gate where the main entrance was located.

As for the first level of the house, it was painted orange with two windows.

However, the building's roof was flat unlike most rooms with an inverted V-shaped roof. It was possible to climb to the roof and enjoy the night view. For star lovers, they could star gaze from the roof.

Any ordinary, middle-class person from Earth would be stunned by the architecture and size of the house. However, the two Tyradorians that were used to the scientist's house simply maintained a normal expression.

Jade placed her face near the holographic name and spoke.

"Prof, are you inside?"

Kawashiro then followed by asking the same question.

The two women hoped that the scientist was in her house.

They truly hoped so. They knew nobody else that could help them in the situation.

"Umm…is that you, Jade? And Nitori? I thought I heard your voices…" a voice asked.

Both Kawashiro Nitori and Jade and exhaled in relief.

"Prof! Let us in!" the two women shouted in unison.

"My goodness. You should have told me that you guys wanted to come to this house back then. I would have prepared food for three…"

Asakura Rikako then began to complain about how she only had food for herself in her fridge and how Kawashiro and Jade should actually tell her that they would be coming to her house for the night.

The scientist included Kochiya in her calculation, because it was unlikely that the greenhead would be separated from the other two women. At least, that was what her experience suggested.

"That's not the issue here! Just let us in, please!" pleaded Kawashiro desperately.

The front door was automatically opened.

"H-!"

"Excuse us, but we'll cause you some trouble!" Jade shouted.

"We'll barge in!" Kawashiro continued.

Without wasting any time, the two women rushed towards the living room of the house without giving any chance for the scientist to speak.

Asakura Rikako, who was without her spectacles while wearing a plain red T-shirt and navy blue track suit stood akimbo as she observed her students. Her long hair was hanging freely since she undid the ribbon she normally wore.

She noticed the alien that was being carried into her house that was placed on her white sofa.

"Hold right there! Shouldn't you explain something to me now?!" the scientist asked.

She specifically pointed her finger at the woman that lied on her sofa.

"That woman doesn't seem to be from this planet. She's an alien, isn't she?" Asakura immediately deduced.

The attentive scientist continued to observe the alien. She could immediately deduce that she was not a Tyradorian just by looking at the woman due to a certain reason: impurity.

(Tyradorians are perfectly clean from the concept of impurity…that woman, she's definitely an alien. Even though there are only traces of impurity…it is enough evidence that she is not from this world!)

However, neither of her students were listening. Instead, they were looking at each other and was discussing something else.

"Does Sanae know that we're here?" Jade asked. "We should tell her that we're at Prof's house. She might be looking for us after this."

Kawashiro shook her head.

"I think she's busy with the investigation by the prosecutors now. I doubt that she'll be released at any time soon."

The scientist furrowed her eyebrows as she heard the conversation between her students.

The scientist thought for a few seconds.

There were three important words here. Aliens, prosecutors and running away.

(Don't tell me…)

Asakura felt uneasy as she allowed her imaginations to go wild.

"Did you commit any crime?" Asakura immediately asked. She was uncomfortable with the issue happening in her house.

There was one thing that came into her mind.

Illegal alien trafficking.

It might not be logical to inferior-level species, but this would cause suspicion to any space-faring civilization.

The Confederation of Tyrador was a planet filled with ambitious scientists that were crazy to obtain research awards. Thus, some of the scientists would do anything to obtain specimen that might give more data.

In the past, one of the ways to obtain enough samples to satisfy the demands of the crazy scientists were by having a black market of alien specimens organized by illegal alien traffickers.

Naturally, Asakura Rikako and TIST did not engage in such behavior. Therefore, the woman rejected any attempt of illegal alien trafficking.

"Hold right there, you alien traffickers! I am really going to hand you over to the prosecutors for smuggling this alien!"

The scientist shouted loudly while glaring at the two students of hers.

Kawashiro and Jade were startled by Asakura's sudden proclamation.

"NO! How could you think of us as alien traffickers!" Kawashiro shouted.

Asakura remained skeptical and glared at her students.

"It is not too late to admit now, Nitori."

"Like I say, this has nothing to do with alien trafficking!" Kawashiro defended herself.

(What the heck is she thinking? How did she arrive with such a twisted conclusion!)

Jade tried to open her mouth and explain the situation, but then the scientist turned her attention to the lunarian on her sofa.

 _This woman…she's wearing a traditional clothing belonging to nobility? The type of clothing that Kotohime normally wore back in Gensokyou?_

Asakura Rikako began to suspect the alien's identity.

And another thing happened.

The holographic television appeared and something could be seen.

The three Tyradorians looked at the screen curiously and listened to the flat-toned reporter.

"Half an hour ago, a house in the Special Residential Area of Xhala was attacked by a Meringian terrorist who attempted to sabotage the warm relationship between the Confederation of Tyrador and the Meringian Cathedral."

Silence filled the room. Only the reporter continued to speak.

"The victim was a woman named Kochiya Sanae and according to the information from the Prosecutors' Office, the terrorist was using a secret technology developed by the terrorist organization. Further investigation will be done regarding this issue."

The image of the attacked house surrounded by prosecutors were shown and Kawashiro sighed.

The scientist merely stared at her student.

"W-Wait! I can explain everything!"

It was obvious from Asakura's expression that she demanded an explanation for everything.

 **Part 4**

"Is that so…" muttered Asakura. She gave a slight nod as she heard Kawashiro's story.

"Y-You're…doubting me, aren't you?" Kawashiro immediately asked.

However, the scientist did not immediately reply to the question.

Instead, the scientist who was searching for dreams stared at the lunarian on her sofa with her finger poking Shirayuki's chin.

Shirayuki tried to move the fingers that were poking her chin and cheek awkwardly but failed to do so. She was just too weak to even stop something as trivial as a poke.

At the same time, Asakura Rikako was deep in her thought.

(How is that even possible?) Asakura whispered to herself.

She could barely believe the story told by Kawashiro Nitori.

Even though the lunarian and Jade confirmed the bluehead's story and the news further strengthened the legitimacy of Kawashiro's story, Asakura somehow refused to believe in the story.

It truly sounded like a tale one would hear back in Gensokyou. In a world governed by common sense, it was only natural to think logically and avoid getting trapped in fantasies.

She then approached the lunarian slowly while observing the alien thoroughly.

 _Is she really a lunarian? Her clothing is just like Kotohime's nobility dress. Oh, well…Kotohime was the princess of Gensokyou._

As the scientist continued to fall into the depths of her own mind, she poked Shirayuki several times.

 _Is this pathetic-looking woman really a lunarian? Really? And Akyuu's book really exaggerates everything._

"Prof-?" Jade asked. "Are you surprised to see an alien magician in your house?"

The scientist was startled by question. It was obvious from her reaction.

"A-Ah!" Asakura replied. "So, was this the reason you asked me about magic earlier?" the scientist continued.

She gave a different thought as she recalled the question being shot at her a few hours ago.

At that time, she did not harbor any suspicion towards her students. However, the existence of a lunarian on her sofa certainly changed her perspective and ideas about the question.

"Anyway, you can use those sophisticated devices at TIST to heal her, right?" Kawashiro asked.

Asakura's answer to the question was short and blunt.

"No."

That word shattered any remaining hope from the two women towards the scientist.

It was followed by a deafening silence that lasted for ten seconds.

After that, the scientist continued her sentence.

"I don't know your expectation towards me, but the devices in TIST do not belong to me. Besides, I'm a theoretical physicist that specialized in the application of biological physics, especially psychic development theories from the point of view of physics."

Kawashiro Nitori and Jade gave an expression of disappointment.

"Anyway, I may have training in paramedical treatment. However, it does not replace the necessary treatment from a legitimate medical doctor. Although…they are most likely going to use regenerators in this case."

The unexpected answer totally betrayed the two women's expectation towards the scientist.

Naturally, they were expecting an answer that would be something like: "Don't worry. I'll do something about this!"

Yet, Asakura gave an answer that totally betrayed their expectations.

The two almost thought of giving up.

But then, the scientist continued.

"Even then, I can't really give up and say no, right? That's just not my style…anyway, it would be weird for me to not take this opportunity to examine this lunarian over here. After all, I do have my _imaginations and expectations_ …"

The atmosphere in the room changed.

"Imaginations and expectations?" Jade asked. "Wait, prof…"

The scientist's thoughts were flowing out through her mouth.

"Do you know something about the lunarians?" Jade continued.

Asakura realized that she should be more careful with the words coming out from her mouth. Any wrong word would expose her identity to her students.

After all, she was hell bent on hiding her origin as a Terran from her students despite herself not knowing the origins of Kochiya and Kawashiro.

"A-Ah…" the scientist muttered. Asakura Rikako was known to her students as a successful Tyradorian scientist and thus shouldn't demonstrate knowledge about aliens from a distant world.

The fact that she recognized the term 'lunarians' attracted both Jade's and Kawashiro's attentions towards her. She immediately came up with something in her mind to satisfy her students' attentions.

"Oh well, of course I do!" Asakura replied. "I have seen the lunar capital through the lenses of probes owned by TIST! I am a scientist, after all!"

"WHAT?" Kawashiro asked. "YOU DID?!"

"Of course! Why do you think that the Department of Astronomy and Astrobiology spends such a huge portion of the budget per annum?" the scientist replied. "Wait. Please don't think that the Astronomy Department spends its billions on renewing toilets, renovating offices or plating the floor with gold. The Department is spending those allocations for the Exploration Program."

The Exploration Program, or accurately known as the Tyradorian Exploration Program was an expedition launched by a coalition of scientific and anthropologic institutions led by TIST to track down all intelligent existence in the universe regardless of dimensions.

Whether these existences hid in pocket dimensions or other barriers that prevented them from being noticed through physical means, it did not matter to the scientifically advanced Tyradorian explorers that were invisible and perfectly pure.

Only the most sensitive detectors from Tyradorian machinations and Meringian magic could detect the existence of these explorers.

Jade seemed excited while Kawashiro continued with a curious face.

"Wait, so the Tyradorian Exploration Program has successfully pinpointed all locations with intelligent existence?"

"Well, yeah. They're doing a fantastic job at recording all forms of intelligent existence that the explorers detected."

Currently, the Exploration Program has successfully pinpointed more than 320 million alien species that were classified as intelligent existences and were able to understand concepts that proved higher level of intelligence compared to most animals and plants.

Among these alien species that existed across the universe, modern Earth humanity was relatively more advanced than 80% of known alien species that were still young relative to humanity. Most aliens were still technologically at the level of Stone Age. In comparison, the lunarians were easily among the top 1% in terms of modernization and civilization, although Tyrador and Mering remained as the most advanced civilizations among all alien species.

It was impossible for the third most advanced civilization to catch up with Mering and Tyrador that were millions of years ahead of them.

"…"

Knowing that, Kawashiro was silent for a moment.

"My colleagues told me that there were many humanoid-shaped rabbits in the capital and some of them pound something called mochi to make rice cakes."

The lunarian looked at the scientist in a shocked manner.

"And really, do those idiots really need to make as if the capital was outstandingly large and filled with inhabitants? Most of the population there are rabbits, although there are humans and some humanoid figures."

Asakura's response removed all questions regarding the reason she was familiar about the lunarians. Of course, the scientist was bluffing her way of obtaining information. She was a theoretical physicist and not an astronomer.

However, Shirayuki felt a tinge of uneasiness as she heard Asakura's explanation.

It was only natural. Anyone who heard that his or her country was being under constant monitoring by another superior nation would feel repulsed by the foreign government's action.

If everything Asakura said was true, then she would have to give a loud laughter at the lunarians.

Those idiots played the role of gods to the earthlings yet the Tyradorians only see them as test specimens for sociology and evolution studies, Shirayuki thought.

Even today, both the lunarians in the moon nor the lunarians living on Earth were still oblivious of the fact that they were being monitored by scientists and sociologists from Tyradorian institutions who were researching on the evolution of Earth humanity post Atlantis.

She felt that the Watatsukis weren't exactly the ones to be concerned about this level of monitoring by alien species, but she also knew that it was impossible for lunarian detection systems to even notice the presence of Tyradorian probes.

Even two pure beings from the Netherworld managed to stay in the lunar capital for a month without being detected. How would lunarians detect the absolutely pure machinations created by Tyradorians with advanced stealth functionality?

"Anyway," the scientist opened her mouth again, "Do you really have time for this small talk?"

Kawashiro Nitori and Jade immediately remembered the current situation. It seemed that the diversion had completely distracted them from their true purpose.

"I'll figure something out, so you should go ahead and fetch that greenhead from the Prosecutors' Office."

"E-Eh?" Kawashiro Nitori replied. "B-But if I go there and the Meringians come here, then…"

"They won't come here," Rikako assured. "Not after what they have done."

The incident that happened at Kawashiro's house has already entered the news and was most likely known by all Tyradorians by now. The Meringians, who were acting in secrecy could not act as freely after their plans came out in the mass media.

Other than that, there was another reason behind Rikako's request for the two women to leave her house.

However, she couldn't disclose the reason so openly. It has been a reason that she sealed in the depths of herself ever since she came her.

It was a skeleton in her closet.

In fact, the scientist wanted to save the alien with scientific means but it seemed unlikely. Therefore, there was no other option but to rely on the hidden knowledge that disguised itself as a study of nature.

After all, for someone who lived among those with talents she would not want to expose her identity with _that_.

 _That_ could save Shirayuki for good.

 _That_ could defy the laws of nature and adjust the world to its user's liking.

 _That_ which existed because those without talent wanted to do the same thing as those blessed with talents could.

If Asakura used _that_ , she would certainly be able to save Shirayuki.

Even then, she loathed herself for having tasted the power of _that_. She felt that she has been tainted by the disgustingly impure knowledge.

Yet she continued to use and learn it in secrecy in desperation. That was the proof of her lack of talent in the world of talented people even though she developed those with talents.

'B-B-But…" the bluehead struggled to reply.

"What?" Asakura asked. "Don't you trust me? If you don't, you wouldn't bring her here to me, would you?"

After a few seconds, the bluehead exhaled a long sigh and nodded her head.

She decided to give in to her professor's demand. It was an unusual decision done by the bluehead since she was normally an arrogant airhead that would argue about anything and everything.

"…Okay then. We'll get that idiot greenhead."

As Jade saw Kawashiro's reaction, the former merely gave a reluctant smile.

In response to the bluehead's reply, the scientist gave a kind smile.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to chop her for research," the scientist continued. "Although if it was him, then I will certainly slice him into 365 pieces of flesh by now."

"I know that already…" Kawashiro grumbled. She truly felt that the scientist was somehow teasing her.

Jade giggled as she heard the scientist's words and understood it quite well. Even in the tense situation, the scientist managed to tease Nitori and speak calmly.

That maturity and calmness in handling situation made the scientist seem mature to most people.

Without further wasting any time, the two women then rushed towards the front door of the house.

Asakura merely gave a smile as she saw the two women exiting her house.

 **Part 5**

It took some time for Asakura to confirm that neither Kawashiro nor Jade was nearby her house.

With those two absent, she could finally begin the attempt to save an alien at the request of her students.

"Now then," she muttered to herself.

As she began to execute what she had to do, she was reminded of one fact.

This was a world dominated by science. Even if magic and magicians exist, this was not the land for magic to flourish.

As such, she could not allow the forbidden knowledge that the talentless seek to perform what those with talent could do to taint the scientific Pure Land inhabited by those with talent.

It meant that every single step she took after this must be done with absolute secrecy.

(Those Meringians might find out later. Well, whatever.)

The scientist decided to ignore outside threats and continue with her plan.

Without wasting any time, the scientist went to another room as she reached for her first-aid kit.

The scientist quickly took a few items out and reorganized her kit.

At the same time, the lunarian wondered about the actions that the scientist would take. One could not help but to be wary of strangers.

No matter how kind the stranger was, one would tread carefully around someone who was about to inject drugs into his or her body.

That was exactly how Shirayuki felt as she saw Asakura Rikako walking towards her with a needle filled with a clear liquid.

It might be different in a hospital where there was an aura of trust and reliability given by the buildings and the uniforms of those working within, but a random stranger wearing a red T-shirt and navy blue track suit did not appeal to her as a doctor.

Yet, there was no other way nor could she question anything. The women that helped to escape the Meringians were trusting the woman whom they called 'Professor'.

"Oh?" Asakura muttered. The scientist noticed Shirayuki's gaze that was directed towards her needle that was filled with a clear liquid.

It was a chemical named Midozlem. Anyone in the field of Tyradorian medicine, pharmacy and power development programs knew about the powerful substance that was used as an anesthetic.

It was so powerful that even 5 ml of this substance could force someone into a comatose state for several hours. Other than the substance, there were small particles that were responsible to 'guide' the flow of the chemical into the whole body quickly.

This allowed the chemical to give an immediate effect when injected.

Unlike other anesthetic substances, this powerful anesthetic was used to knock out the soul's consciousness along with the brain, forcing the body of the recipient to be totally out of awareness for a few hours.

Other than its use in medicine, it was also used in the military to knock down enemies in espionage missions.

Due to its powerful nature, it would only be given out under an anesthetist's prescription or under the administration of a power developer that was trained to handle the chemical.

It was not something that an ordinary person would have in its first-aid kit.

"Don't worry," the scientist replied with a kind smile. "With this, you won't feel anything."

 _To be more accurate…you won't know anything,_ Asakura spoke in her mind.

It was common for fellow magicians to have a feeling of mutual distrust to each other. Even though Asakura was a magician, she would never entrust her secret to another magician, what more a stranger.

As she finished her sentence, she slowly lifted the right sleeve of the lunarian and located the spot where she would inject the substance.

"This will sting a little bit," the scientist muttered.

With that said, she carefully placed the needle on a vein.

The needle went directly into the vein and the liquid was forcefully injected into the lunarian's blood system. The liquid flowed inside the blood and it was quick to circulate inside the lunarian's body.

The already weakened lunarian was quick to feel the powerful effect of the substance that affected the soul.

In five seconds, she felt a powerful sensation that forced her eyes to be closed. It was irresistible.

She could not even think. Her mind was cloudy, and she could not even think.

"A-"

She could not speak anything. She felt as if she was facing death. She has tasted a glimpse of death when the Meringian attacked her, but this was another experience.

It felt as if Death was standing in front of her. The lunarian was powerless against this force.

Without the ability to struggle, there was no reason for her to fight.

Ten seconds later, the lunarian rested without any sign of consciousness left.

The scientist stretched her hands and hastily picked up liquid soap from her kitchen after ensuring that the lunarian was truly unconscious.

Then, she drew a large circle on the floor using the soap.

In the field of magic, the circle was viewed as the supreme divine geometric shape.

Anyone could easily associate the circle and the occult.

Even in Earth and Lunar cultures, the circle was significant in the field of magic.

The Yin-Yang concept was drawn in a circle. Magic circles was the primary method of channeling and extracting magic force from oneself and nature.

The shimenawa was tied in a circular fashion as a boundary between the pure and the impure.

Regardless of religion and magic methodologies, the geometric shape known as circle was undoubtedly the holiest symbol in magic. It was uncontested by any other geometric shape.

"In the religion of the Cathedral, the circle is the divine symbol of Deoh. It is ambiguous, undefined by any concept," the scientist muttered as if reading a book.

The circle was a singular entity that was ambiguous in the sense that it was both unity and separation. It implied wholeness in the field of magic which was a trait of Deoh, yet it also created separation between those under His blessings and those outside His blessing.

If one wore a circular ring in front of Duruk, the alien would stop and pray to the circle.

That was how closely related the circle was to the religion of the Cathedral just like how the Cross was significant to the religion of Christ.

After placing the lunarian inside the circle, the scientist began chanting a few words.

It was not in the Tyradorian language nor was it Japanese.

It was in the language of Mering.

"In your Name, I ask for your Mercy to bless her with the Harmony. The Mercy of Deoh who rules over the element of Harmony, bless her!"

The magic circle that was made by green liquid soap glowed a bright, golden color.

The woman that was inside the circle was unaware of the events happening around her.

Various auras came out from the lunarian's body and floated a meter above her. There were mainly five colors; red, yellow, black, green and white lights.

The auras interacted with each other and formed a pentagram on the air. It was an amazing and beautiful sight, almost like an aurora at night.

Yet, Asakura Rikako the magician remained composed. She was not even amused by the sight in front of her eyes.

Instead, her stoic eyes revealed no emotion whatsoever unlike her eyes that would roll in excitement from going through data obtained through scientific experiments.

 _Oh, a magician that is basing her spell with the Chinese elements of Wu Xing? She is a lunarian, so there's nothing surprising about that._

The magician and scientist continued with her chant.

What she did what, in theory simple.

She simply used a magic spell that would invoke Deoh's harmonious element within the element of circle.

However, in practice it was a complicated spell. While she invoked the element of Deoh, she did not even use her own magical energy at all.

Amateurs in the field of Meringian magic might not know, but the lights were in fact Shirayuki's own magical energy being extracted and rearranged in a proper 'frequency' to allow the restoration of order in the soul and the body, hence triggering self-healing within the person.

The magical energies that have been restored to its maximum potential would strengthen the soul and trigger the cells in her body to regenerate and heal itself. In a way, it temporarily mimicked the effects of the Hourai elixir.

The trick of concealing one's own magic energy in casting a spell was very difficult as magic energy was the identity of a magician.

However, for the magician who wanted to erase her identity as a magician, this was the knowledge she decided to specialize in. In that way, any magic spell casted by her would not be traced back to her. By exploiting the presence of other people's magic abilities, she could cover her tracks perfectly and trick even Meringian Executioners who specialize in hunting down magicians.

The scientist exhaled a sigh of relief.

After ten minutes, the magical energies seemed to have stabilized.

There was no further reaction between the magical elements that made up the lunarian's magic force.

"The process of restoring the balance in her magic ability is complete…however, one thing remains."

There was a trace of unexplainable energy that was colorful. Unlike the magic energies that were emitted earlier, this trace of energy was overwhelmingly beautiful yet it stood as an oddity in the world where such energies were deemed as filthy.

The scientist knew the identity of the unexplainable energy that both colorful yet defiling.

It was mana. The power of life that was rejected by Tyradorians and lunarians alike.

In all situations, souls were pure in its original form. This allowed for souls to exist without a time limit given that no force was applied on the soul. It was like a space rock; it could exist indefinitely in space without any time limit if there was nothing acting on the rock.

Saigyouji Yuyuko was such an existence. As a soul, she was not restricted to time. Her existence could last indefinitely, although some people would describe it as an eternity.

However, when a soul was given the power of life the soul became tainted with a time limit. This time limit was something known as death.

Life and death were two opposite concepts or two concepts created from one lacking another, but they required each other to exist. Death required life to define itself, and life needed death to define itself. Without life, death would not exist.

 _Well…normally I'd use chemicals to cleanse this thing, but consider this a kind service from myself._

"Begone, vile impurity! Go to the enemy and blind them!"

The mana began to remove itself from the cluster of magical energy that was Shirayuki's.

It went through the door and flew away from the house.

Asakura herself was unsure about the whereabouts of mana, but she could care less about it.

 _The process is complete…Those idiots will be surprised to notice that they have been diverted if they decided to track that single impurity down._

Afterwards, the magical energies returned to its owner's physical body.

The spell was finished and now, the only thing left was to let the woman heal at her own frequency.

 _It's up to her now. My role is finished over here._

 **Part 6**

It was 1:00 a.m., Standard Tyradorian Time.

Officially, it was now Ukhus 7th. A new day has started in the planet that was covered in a gentle darkness.

There was one particular building that was tall enough that even other buildings seemed relatively short to this building.

It was the headquarters of the Prosecutors' Office located in the capital city of Tyrador. A building of 643 meters in height, it surpassed the height of other buildings located around it. It was built on the ego of the prosecutors who believed that they upheld and restored public order.

Prosecutor Kotohime stood at the top of the building while looking at the sky.

The woman placed her arms on the metallic bar that became the barrier between herself and the air that would cause anyone to fall down the grossly tall building.

"This is damn confusing. How did this happen in the first place?"

The woman who was responsible to manage all magical incidents happening in the planet narrowed her eyes.

She was not concerned about covering up the truth behind the incident. She has already mobilized a unit to falsify every possible information regarding the information to the public.

To everyone unrelated to this issue, the incident was nothing more than a terrorist attempt to damage the relations between the Meringian Cathedral and the Confederation of Tyrador. That was the 'truth' told by her unit to the media which was later propagated without any further cross-checking.

However, the truth was kept safely in her hands and exposing the truth would do no good for anyone in this planet.

It was a failed attempt by Meringian agents to execute Shirayuki under her unit's permission.

Originally, she wanted to settle the issue by herself. That was what she truly wanted.

The Meringian Cathedral however, was not a forgiving organization. An organization so powerful that it ruled over the domain of magic would never allow anything deemed as heresy to run freely beyond its reach.

 _The moment the lunarian's existence within the Confederation was confirmed, the Cathedral pressured her and the government to let them operate and execute the lunarians._

Kotohime's lips twitched as she remembered how Meringians diplomats repeatedly contacted her while demanding her to allow Meringian operatives enter the planet.

As a fellow universal superpower, the Meringian Cathedral wielded a power that was difficult to ignore whether politically or militarily.

She was forced by the Meringians to give the green light and allowed the aliens to execute the lunarian.

The Director of the Extraordinary Cases and Emergency Response Unit thought that the lunarian would be turned into ash as soon as the Meringians found her.

It was not a mere assumption. It was almost a certainty. The half-dead lunarian was expected to be dead in the hands of the executioners.

Yet, Kotohime did not expect the lunarian to find refuge with people that the prosecutor was personally related to.

Was she a villain in this case? Was she a co-conspirator?

Perhaps.

The prosecutor never thought of herself as a heroine. This was not Gensokyou, and she wasn't imagining herself to be like Hakurei Reimu.

This was the Confederation of Tyrador. A place where bloodshed was necessary to restore order.

Being a prosecutor that was responsible to handle magicians made her impure in the sense that she became accustomed to the notion of executing every single magician that were trying to create trouble in this planet.

Fighting those with impure knowledge made herself impure. She did not mind that.

Only God knew how many magicians have been slain by her hands. She wasn't particularly proud about it, but it wasn't something she could refuse to do either. It was pretty much her responsibility.

But the fact that this incident involved people she was familiar with made it more difficult.

This was not a simple incident anymore. This was something that she might be forced to act on her own accord.

The Meringians had caused a huge ruckus.

That was undeniable. It was big enough that this incident has been reported in the media.

The information about her unit was only accessible by the President and the Chancellor. Even the politicians and ministers in the Reischtag knew nothing about the involvements of her unit in magical incidents.

Thus, there was no such thing as a truthful information from her unit when magic cases were involved.

Even in Senatorial hearings where she would be forced to take the oath to be truthful, there was no way Kotohime could ever speak the truth. Every single explanation on cases involving magic has been carefully scripted beforehand and falsified. The answers were perfect enough that it naturally became accepted as the truth by the self-serving politicians.

It would undoubtedly be a political issue. There might even be a Senatorial hearing by foolish politicians who were hell bent on keeping their reputations while not knowing the truth at all.

As someone who has been in bureaucracy, she understood the dirty tricks that politicians employed to remain as populists. In a democracy, image was a key factor that any politician must take care of.

Lack of respectable and charismatic image would lead to the downfall of a politician. The same was true for monarchs and dictators, although those with absolute power would create an image of terror and supreme power to force people into submission.

The Princess of Gensokyou knew that very well.

 _How did I get here in the first place?_

 **Behind the Scenes**

A certain magician stood in the dark.

The darkness acted as a veil that covered his silhouette. His physical essence was almost impossible to be seen with the naked eye.

He stood there, confused.

He stood there, amused.

He stood there, not knowing the truth.

The golden armband that was proof of his position as Duruk's immediate superior shone brightly in the dark.

"What…the hell?"

He took out the tablet that he has used to trace down his target.

He looked several times and checked the coordinate with his magic. There was no mistake.

There was a blue point at the location where he stood on.

Someone should have been there. A certain dark magician that should have been executed should be lying down passively while giving her mongrel life to be sent to Deoh's purgatory.

But…there was nothing.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE?!" the alien screamed.

(How did that twat managed to trick me?!)

He followed the signal given out by the magic-tracking tablet that he carried along. Originally, he planned to use the tablet to confirm the demise of the enemy he deemed as a devil worshipper.

However, the mission ended up as an abrupt failure.

The Executioner named Kohor realized that and moved to track the magician by himself.

If he did not act, it was possible that the magician would roam freely while bringing chaos to the Meringian Cathedral and the religion of Deoh. That was the stained mentality of the alien who was of a higher status than Duruk.

The alien was enraged.

His anger was reasonable.

He was surprised that his well-planned strategy ended up as a mess.

His subordinate was knocked down by a Tyradorian and was under the subjugation of the Prosecutors' Office. He was furious at the stupidity of his subordinate that caused a ruckus and crippled his plan to execute the enemy silently.

This might hinder the Tyradorians from being cooperative in this particular mission while claiming some losses to the Cathedral. Even though he was not involved in diplomacy between the two civilizations, he has a feeling that the diplomatic meeting room was the type of place where words became lethal bullets.

On the other hand, he was amused by the fact that his target has safely escaped Duruk and somehow managed to trick him to this location.

The magician then looked around.

It was a dark alley with nothing in his way. He thought of it as a joke.

It was a clean street walled by two concrete walls that went up by thirty meters.

He was used to the darkness of night, but he could not help but to observe the tall buildings and the artificial light emitted from the lamps of buildings.

In the Meringian worlds, buildings weren't as high. Only the Cathedral building was large and tall to signify its status as the most important building in the Meringian civilization.

Ordinary Meringian buildings were typically low but wide. Meringians respected the sky as the domain of Deoh, even as they travelled through space. Even space was treated as the domain of Deoh.

The existence of lowly spells tainted the domain that was supposed to be under the reign of Deoh.

"Atheists. They pollute the heavens with their egoistic, corrupted knowledge called psychic science while thinking that they own the world."

That was the thinking of the clergyman as he observed the buildings in detail.

The emotion of disgust flowed from his mouth as he spoke.

The alien then realized something crucial.

There was something unusual about the situation.

It was impossible for him to be misled by normal tricks. He knew very well that his target was unable to pull off such a deceptive trick.

(This means…?)

He thought of several possibilities.

Despite that, his mind came out with only one conclusion.

 _There is someone else using magic in this planet other than us and the filthy demon?_

* * *

 **Finally, after some time. Can't wait for the new Touhou game to be released in full :D Sorry for the late update...xD  
**


	6. Chapter 5: The End of the Hunt

**Chapter 5: The End of the Hunt**

 **Part 1**

The shining rays that went right towards the lunarian's face was the first thing that greeted her.

Illuminated by the rays of light, she opened her eyes and stretched her arms before blocking the sunlight that aimed directly for the eyes.

 _It's so bright…_

The lunarian then moved her body so that the rays of light wouldn't hit her face directly.

She felt as if she was a vampire for a while. However, she somehow was startled after realizing that the sky was already bright.

It was another day.

No memories about anything that happened after she was injected with the chemical remained. She tried to recall anything, but it was useless.

It was due to the anesthetic's effect ending.

The lunarian fell into a deep slumber after being injected with the 'weird' chemical that was a product of Tyradorian science.

She could not help but to be confused about the incidents happening after that moment.

Even now, her mind was still hazy.

She thought of standing up and looking at the widely opened window.

Before the lunarian stood up, she looked around and remained silent for a few minutes. Only her eyes moved around wildly as she recorded everything in her sight light a camera recording a video in the room she was in.

It was a messy but clean room.

The room was filled with research theses, student assignments, power development reports and a few scientific books on the study table.

Other than the messy papers and books on the table, everything else was properly arranged.

On the chair, she could see a white coat that was exactly the same as Kochiya's working coat being hung.

The lunarian sighed as she noticed the messy table and glanced through few papers.

It reminded her of herself when she was doing magical research back in the lunar capital.

Her room would be in a complete mess whenever she came up with a new idea for her magical research. Despite all that, she was never satisfied with her accomplishment.

She felt that there was always a stumbling block that stopped her from accomplishing her goals in her research. No matter how much magical input she received, she could not come out with a valuable conclusion for every hypothesis she did.

All she managed to accomplish was piling up papers in her room. Somehow, she hoped that her messy room in the lunar capital has already been cleaned.

"This is a complete mess…but again, those scientists and we magicians are very similar."

Both scientists and magicians were trying to understand the truth of the world through different approaches.

Again, she stretched her arms and felt relieved.

Something was off. Shirayuki has just realized this, but she looked at herself and touched her body to check for injuries.

The lunarian remembered that she was still heavily injured the night before. Yet, she was casually walking around without feeling any pain now.

It would be almost impossible for her to move as casually as she did yesterday, yet she calmly walked around as if she never fell ill.

 _This is weird_ …she thought.

She touched the parts of her body that were heavily injured yesterday.

The injured parts of her body were no longer injured.

Even after pinching herself, she could no longer feel any pain associated to the injuries from being attacked by the Meringians.

Shirayuki then froze for five seconds and slowly moved her gaze towards her two arms.

She felt different. Being healthy without any sign of injury was one thing, but this feeling was another thing that happened to her.

"The impurity within myself…? What happened?"

The lunarian was rather frantic as she realized the fact that she was no longer tainted with impurity.

Unable to believe that simply fact that her impurity was removed from herself, she looked at her body for ten seconds.

"Is this…a dream come true?"

For lunarians, achieving true purity was the ultimate dream that anyone could wish for.

Elixirs such as the Ultramarine Orb Elixir could temporarily do the deal, but it was unable to prevent impurity from entering the body. As such, the perfect pure state attained from drinking the elixir was only temporary.

"Is this the doing of that scientist?"

Shirayuki still doubted herself. It could very possibly be a dream generated by her brain while she was in a slumber. For she has achieved the state that her fellow lunarians would only wish for in their dreams.

Not knowing what to do, she stepped out of the room only to encounter a staircase.

She noticed that Kochiya's room was also at the second floor of the house just like the scientist's room.

"The student follows the teacher, huh?"

She carefully stepped down the stairs while looking at the house's artistic stone walls that were mainly used by aristocrats and the elite. The lunarian couldn't help but to mesmerize the beauty of the interior of the house.

In fact, she almost tripped when she stepped from the last stair to the floor. She was too distracted by the architecture of the house that she forgot to mind her steps.

"Oh, how are you feeling?" a voice greeted the lunarian.

Shirayuki turned her attention towards the voice.

It was the scientist sitting on a cushy sofa in the living room. Surrounding her were three women; Jade, Kawashiro Nitori and Kochiya Sanae.

Beside the sofa, there was a glass table with three mugs filled with hot coffee.

"Much better compared to yesterday…" the lunarian replied.

The scientist smiled kindly while the three women looked at the scientist with a gaze of children feeling a bit bitter after the parent played a prank on them.

"Really, you said that you couldn't use the devices in TIST to heal her. How did you treat her then?" Jade asked.

"A-Ah…about that," the scientist thought for a second.

The scientist Asakura Rikako sounded hesitated, but nevertheless she continued speaking.

"I opened my first aid kit and saw some regenerative medication in it. I thought that I disposed the chemicals, so I was surprised myself."

Of course, Asakura needed to come up with a convincing lie to cover her track.

The scientist was not going to reveal other identity as a magician, not even to her students even if she thought of them as her own children.

For that scientist, some secrets were best kept within.

"Geez, and you say that you can't do anything much…" Kawashiro mumbled.

"Well, I'm sorry for that. Besides, wasn't there someone who said that she wasn't going to stay in my house last evening?" the scientist replied.

The scientist maintained her gaze at Kawashiro, and the bluehead immediately reacted to the scientist.

"W-W-What? Why are you looking at me in such a creepy manner? I said that I don't want to spend the whole night doing the Future Steiner test! I never said that I loathed being here…" the bluehead muttered.

The scientist gave a sinister grin.

Kawashiro diverted her eyes from the scientist and continued.

"After all, this was once my home as well before we bought that house and moved out."

Kochiya smiled after hearing Kawashiro's answer.

"And you're always welcomed to stay here. My doors are opened for you," Asakura replied while smiling.

 _Am I watching a family melodrama right now?_ Shirayuki thought, but she kept it into herself.

"Prof…I almost thought that you were one of the many agents of the Society," muttered Jade.

"Zip it. I have nothing to do with that your delusional 'Society'," Rikako replied sternly. "I don't even know this Society that was born out of your delusion ever since you read that light novel."

"The Society?" Shirayuki asked. "What's that?"

"Yes, the Society. An omniversal group of elites from each possible universe trying to rule over everything. They want absolute dominance over not just existence, but concepts such as time, space, science, magic, causality, change, logic, boundary, immortality, reality, fantasy and such. Looks like the Society is using the Meringians to track my allies Nitori and Sanae down and draw me out. Those damn God-wannabes!"

Kochiya Sanae, Kawashiro Nitori and Asakura Rikako diverted their gazes from Shirayuki as they listened to Jade's answer.

The lunarian always had the feeling that Jade was not normal, but she wasn't expecting an extreme abnormality.

"Please, it's just her delusion," replied Nitori.

She vented out her disappointment.

"You-!" Jade replied. "Even after being attacked by the Society that pulled the strings of the Meringian Cathedral, you still denied their existence?! No wonder Magna is displeased with your constant rejection for salvation!"

Kawashiro ignored Jade and continued.

"This 'Society' doesn't exist, and there's no agent sent to hunt us down. Although those Meringians technically did attack our house yesterday."

Shirayuki swallowed her saliva as she listened to Kawashiro's comment about the house.

If possible, she did not want to create trouble for other people.

Especially, to aliens that she has just met for a day.

It was enough that they saved her from the Meringians, cured her, removed her impurity.

She couldn't afford to be extremely selfish and cause more trouble for the people looking at her.

"You don't have to worry about the house. The house is safe and sound. Even if something happened, we have insurance policies to cover for the loss incurred," Sanae replied in a business-like manner. "Although I did receive a few calls asking if I was fine and all…well, I got into the news for the wrong reason."

Shirayuki's face paled at the thought of having to pay for any damage incurred in the house.

She did not have any Tyradorian money; and she doubted that the cost for such a large house was cheap. It was possible that she might end up enslaving herself just to pay for compensating the damage of the house.

"Relax, silly," Kochiya continued. "No one's asking you to pay anything for the house."

"EH?" Shirayuki mumbled spontaneously, and sighed in relief.

"But I'm worried about that alien though…" Kochiya continued.

"What about that idiot Meringian?" asked Nitori. "Didn't you say that the prosecutors have detained him?"

Kochiya folded her arms and looked at the ceiling for five seconds. Somehow, she seemed displeased.

"Yeah, I did say that…but still, something feels really off."

The other four women looked at Kochiya attentively.

"I mean…the news is completely fake. It's fake news as far as we know. The ones chasing after us are not terrorists, but operatives of the Meringian Cathedral. Foreign operatives are chasing after us."

The women nodded in agreement.

Perhaps the Tyradorian government wanted to hide this issue from other people, thus they had to come up with lies to cover up the fact that Meringian operatives do operate in this planet.

The thought of foreign spies openly destroying people's houses and the government turning a blind eye to these spies would enrage the public. Thus, it was necessary to deceive the public to prevent them from learning the truth.

"Other than that, the prosecutors that were with Kotohime seemed oddly familiar with the alien. They tried to hide it from me, but I could feel that there was a feeling of mutual recognition and familiarity between the prosecutors and the alien."

Kawashiro nodded as she thought about Kochiya's deduction.

The greenhead's claims made sense if one considered several factors to be weighed in.

The Prosecutors' Office was the planet's elite counter intelligence agency.

The prosecutors themselves were known to be excellent hunters. There were many operatives from other planets and civilizations that have been arrested in the past for even attempting to infiltrate the planet.

Yet, Shirayuki, a mere lunarian could run freely in this planet without being arrested by the prosecutors.

In addition to that, the fact that the Meringian could run wild for some time without any immediate action taken by the officers was something to ponder upon.

Did the prosecutors missed Shirayuki out? If they unintentionally missed out Shirayuki, then it was a serious blunder in the prosecutors' side and it was next to impossible.

It would be more probable to entertain the fact that a lifeless stone can jump ten meters than knowing that the prosecutors made such blunders.

With that taken into consideration, it meant that the prosecutors purposely turned a blind eye in this incident until the Meringian made a huge chaos out of it.

If Shirayuki had been assassinated or murdered silently, the prosecutors would still feign ignorance.

Even if the lunarian's death was brought to light, the prosecutors would simply shrug it off.

At most, they would claim that Shirayuki was an illegal alien that broke immigration laws and resisted arrest permitting them to kill to the woman as dictated by law.

What was the true driving force that led to this incident?

Was there someone pulling the strings from behind the scenes?

It wouldn't be surprising to learn that someone certainly pulled the strings behind this incident.

The real question was, who or what was behind this incident?

Certainly, Jade's answer would be automatically rejected.

The Society, as far as Kochiya Sanae was concerned was nothing but a fictional society created by a mind trapped within the obsession of an idiot.

Even then, she was certain that there was an organization powerful enough to move the universe by just 'wanting it to happen'.

She then recalled that the ones hunting Shirayuki were Meringian operatives that served the Meringian Cathedral.

The Meringian Cathedral.

That too, was an important consideration in deducing the truth behind this incident.

The Meringian Cathedral was a superpower by itself. The overarching religious institution that controlled the world of Magic and influenced many planets in the galaxy could easily leverage its power and status to make a deal with the Confederation of Tyrador.

Kochiya recognized the religious institution to be one of the few organizations that could move the universe to its way and get away with anything.

An organization with one of the best militaries in existence couldn't possibly be challenged by a single human.

Therefore, if the Meringian Cathedral was truly behind this incident, it would be a truly difficult fight.

 _This is a huge mess_ …Kochiya thought.

While the greenhead was deep in her thought, the bluehead turned her attention to the lunarian.

"Why are you standing like an idiot over there?" Kawashiro asked. "Sit down, will you? Or maybe help yourself to a cup of coffee."

"A-Ah…" the lunarian muttered slowly.

The bluehead merely pointed the direction of the coffee brewer at the kitchen.

"Thanks…but do you have something like tea, or perhaps…erm, sake?"

Kochiya, Kawashiro and Jade merely stared at the alien.

Asakura Rikako almost burst into laughter, but she managed to suppress her laughter.

"What is sake?" Kochiya asked.

"Some weird brand back in her home world?" Jade muttered.

"No, no. It's an energy drink, right?" Kawashiro replied while asking Shirayuki.

For an engineer, energy drinks were the best boosts while working on complex projects.

Asakura however, grinned at Kawashiro's answer.

"My bet is that it's an alcoholic drink. Most likely, something like rice wine," Asakura replied.

She knew what sake was.

The scientist brewed sake herself whenever she felt nostalgic and yearned for Japanese alcoholic beverage.

Surely, none of the people inside the room knew her real identity.

For that reason, Shirayuki, who assumed that Asakura was a natural Tyradorian dropped her jaw after listening to Asakura's accurate answer.

"How did you guess that?"

"I highly doubt that she guessed it. She must have obtained that information from her colleagues in the Astronomy and Astrobiology Department," Kawashiro mumbled.

"That's cheating, Prof!" Jade shouted.

The scientist smirked at Jade.

"Knowledge is power. Didn't Magna teach you that?" the scientist mocked

Jade merely bit her lips.

"Anyway, who the heck drinks alcoholic beverage early in the morning?!" Kochiya shouted. "What a weird diet. Does everyone from Luna consume alcohol for breakfast?!"

Jade and Kawashiro grinned at Kochiya's exclamation and giggled.

"Look, the lightweight is jealous," Kawashiro replied naughtily. "The one who can't drink more than a few glasses of wine is complaining about someone else's drinking habit out of jealousy?"

Jade merely carved a sinister grin on her lips.

"G-GUH! Who's a lightweight?! Anyway, who the hell drinks anything alcoholic early in the morning? That's…uh, that's very unhealthy!" Kochiya replied in self-defense. "You know, I practice a healthy lifestyle!"

"Is that so, nerdy girl?" Jade replied with a question. "Only closet otaku nerds with no romantic experience can be lightweights."

"!"

Kochiya almost replied, but the scientist cut her speech and spoke.

"Ah, ah! Don't fight in front of me. Speaking of sake, I remembered that the food inside the fridge is depleting..."

Kochiya, Kawashiro and Jade immediately understood the meaning behind that statement.

"Usually, I would go out to the market by myself but considering the current situation, I can't leave my house. What would I do if my house turns into pieces of rocks if the Meringians sieged this house while I was out?"

Kawashiro and Jade immediately stared at Kochiya.

The greenhead stepped back. Kochiya could feel the intense, devilish aura behind the stares.

"E-Eh? Why are you guys looking at me?"

"Isn't it obvious, God Killer?" Jade muttered.

Kochiya gulped her saliva upon hearing the name of her ability being mentioned by Jade.

"What is the God Killer?! I don't even have any ability unlike you guys! I almost perished into nothingness last night!"

The Kochiya Sanae of Tyrador believed in one simple principle: Avoid any unnecessary trouble at all cost.

If she was forced to fight, she would fight bravely in the battlefield. Despite that, she would try and evade from having to step into the battlefield in the first place.

"And you!" Kochiya pointed at Kawashiro. "Don't try to push everything at me. Aren't you together in this mess alongside me?"

The startled bluehead merely gave a surprised look at Kochiya.

"M-M-ME?!" Kawashiro pointed at herself. "N-N-NON-NON!"

Before Kawashiro could continue, Kochiya cruelly crossed her hands in an X-formation.

"Excuse rejected!" Kochiya replied. "If I'm going to perish, I'll drag you along into the world of nothingness!"

"EEIIIKKK!"

 **Part 2**

At the end, Kawashiro Nitori sighed as she walked besides Kochiya Sanae.

(How did I get into this mess as well?) Kawashiro wondered.

The bluehead was wearing a dark blue jeans and light blue T-shirt, while the person walking beside her wore a plain, yellow T-shirt and black track suits.

Kawashiro felt that it must have been luck for her to find a few old clothes of hers in Asakura's house. Wearing a dress shirt while going to a wet market seemed odd and out of place, and borrowing Asakura's clothes wasn't exactly the best choice.

The scientist was taller than herself, and the scientist's clothes were more suited to be worn by Kochiya Sanae or Jade rather than herself.

Right now, the two women were walking along a street as they headed towards the wet market.

It was actually possible to order the raw food and wait for the ordered items to be teleported. Unfortunately, the old-fashioned Asakura Rikako always wanted her food to be observed before being taken for consumption.

It was just another whimsical idea of hers.

According to the scientist, it was always best to inspect the food personally before buying back home. It was an attitude from the time the scientist was still living in Earth, and she still practiced the same behavior even after leaving the planet for more than a hundred years.

Even so, the two women could do nothing to change the somewhat ironic and backward methodology of a scientist that was famed for winning Tyrador's most prestigious scientific award during her postgraduate studies.

Anyway, Kawashiro Nitori now glared at Kochiya Sanae.

"Why do I have to tag along with you?" Kawashiro grumbled. "How did I get into this mess to begin with?"

"Stop complaining," Kochiya rebutted. "This is finally the time when you can actually beat the crap out of someone using your ability!"

Kawashiro merely grimaced at Kochiya's unreasonable response.

"Didn't you beat the crap out of that magician yourself?" Kawashiro asked.

Kochiya diverted her gaze from Kawashiro as she heard the bluehead's question.

"I'd rather not answer that question…ahahaha!"

Kochiya then scratched her head as she recalled the quick clash that happened yesterday.

The greenhead admitted that she could have died from the battle. The fact that she could even walk right now was a lucky coincidence, if not a miracle.

"What was that?"

"Just shut up and be my bodyguard, will you?" Kochiya easily replied. "I'll pay you, no, wait. You're filthy rich so I don't really need to pay you…"

Kochiya paused and continued.

"Aha! I'll help you to build a long-lasting relationship with the love of your life, so just stay with me for the moment."

"I should help the Meringians to kill you right now," Kawashiro glared and raised her hand.

Kochiya stepped back as the greenhead saw Kawashiro's expression.

"Ho…Hold on!"

Kochiya took another step backwards.

"There is only one way to subdue my fury. DIE, bitch!"

"Oi, are you seriously that angry right now?!" Kochiya asked. "Anyway, don't you feel something fishy around us?"

The bluehead froze.

"Don't divert the topic. I know your little strategy of getting away with things!"

Kochiya shook her head.

"That's not it, you idiot! Can't you feel something weird around here? I'm being serious right now!"

Kawashiro turned around and observed her environment.

There were only buildings and robots passing through the road.

Unlike normal machines, Tyradorian machines were specifically designed to move at maximum efficiency. There was no wastage of energy in Tyradorian machines.

As the result, there was no sound produced by the machine at all.

Other than that, there was a fountain of water.

Only the sound of the fountain water could be heard.

There was not a single trace of human being walking along the road.

"Now that you speak about it…"

It was weekend. The streets should be filled with numerous people going about their lives.

Even if there was news about an attack happening last night, most people would continue with their lives.

There was no reason for this apparent silence.

In fact, this peace was so odd that Kawashiro realized something: she felt threatened by it.

"Do not despair. There will be nobody here other than us."

The voice was enough to freeze the two women.

""It's useless. You have been trapped in a null zone. Specifically, a null-intelligent zone."

It was not a human voice. Neither was it speaking in the Tyradorian language.

It was a voice that spoke in fluent, native Meringian language.

Both Kawashiro Nitori and Kochiya Sanae turned their attention towards the odd voice.

Cold sweat dropped from Kochiya's forehead.

What the two women saw was a Meringian with a golden armband at his right arm.

"Hmm. Kochiya Sanae and Kawashiro Nitori. So, the two collaborators that hid the dark magician has finally came out from the hiding cave."

A smirk could be seen from the Meringian's face.

"Well, this makes my life easier," the Meringian commented.

"Who…"

"Umm? Oh…apologies. I should have introduced myself," the alien replied politely.

The obviously fake politeness made both Kawashiro and Kochiya felt unpleasant.

"I am Executor Kohor, a lead agent of the Meringian Defense against the Dark Arts Division of the Meringian Cathedral. I believe that you've met my subordinate and colleague, Duruk yesterday. It seems that yesterday's meeting was short and unpleasant. For that, I apologize for all inconvenience we have caused both of you."

After hearing the magician's introduction, both Kochiya and Kawashiro raised their guards.

"Oh?"

The alien seemed to enjoy himself while observing the women's behaviors.

Unlike his subordinate, he gave out an aura of professionalism and a vibe of an experienced fighter.

Kochiya, a veteran understood that vibe more than anyone else.

The alien before her was an experienced fighter unlike the one she fought against yesterday.

"As I said earlier, this is a null-intelligent zone. This means that there will be nobody entering this region under my spell."

The magician knew that the place they were going through were normally packed with people, and casted a spell to divert people away from the duo.

Kochiya twitched her lips and looked at Kawashiro.

The bluehead nodded.

Both Kochiya and Kawashiro understood each other and the situation.

This was not the ordinary world that they lived for the past hundred years.

Magic abilities and scientific psychic powers.

The world of fantasy and the world of reasoning.

They have been living in the world of logic and reason for the past hundred years. However, their lives completely changed yesterday upon contact with the said denizen from the world of magic.

Like land and sea, the two normally would never cross paths.

Despite that, there were certain regions where the land and the sea crossed paths, ignoring the concept of 'boundary between land and sea'.

For instance, beaches.

Thus, there was a question that they asked at the same moment.

Was yesterday a coincidence?

Or, have they entered the intersection between the two different worlds?

Have they entered the boundary between fantasy and reality, that was said to be separated by a certain youkai back on Earth?

"Ah, don't even think of using your ability to negate the null-intelligent zone. The magic effect only covers the perimeter of the region I specified, not inside the region where there is no people. That is why the magic stands still without being nullified by your said ability."

The alien calmly spoke as he stared at Kochiya's right hand.

Somehow, both Kawashiro Nitori and Kochiya Sanae twitched their lips at the same time.

The alien instinctively understood the women.

"Ah, of course. We're agents of the Cathedral. We are just your typical Tyradorian prosecutors," he replied confidently. "Surely, digging out your background isn't that much of a hassle for us, no?"

They knew.

They knew about the enemy standing before them.

and had expected them to have information about her,

Neither Kochiya nor Kawashiro had expected the alien to come here without any due diligence done. For a soldier, having information about the enemy was half of the winning process.

Even so, they still felt uncomfortable.

Out of nervousness, the two women took a step back.

After all, the idea of being spied by someone else was never a great idea even for a crazy man.

"Wait…don't tell me…" Kochiya asked, "Have you been tailing us since yesterday?"

If the alien did follow one of them, then shouldn't the other alien know the fact that Shirayuki was in her professor's house?

"….?" For an instant, the alien frowned in doubt. "Is that what you think? Hmm…that's not really the case though…"

"How can we trust a spy like you?" replied Kawashiro.

"Well, here's a tip. We were surprised to detect another hidden magician inside this planet beside that dark magician and ourselves."

The women stared in confusion at the alien.

"Hidden magician?" muttered the clueless Kochiya. "You're saying that there's another magician around us?"

Tyrador was a world of science and magic was thought as something to be mocked by Tyradorians.

The clueless woman could not believe the man. It was very unlikely that a human in this planet would practice magic when psychic abilities were rampant like bread in the supermarket.

Because of that, the idea of a magician roaming around in secret indeed caused her heart to tremble.

Despite Kochiya's limited knowledge about magic, she knew that it was a formidable form of knowledge that should never be misused.

Even after catching a small glimpse of magic, she could deduce that much information.

"This man is just trying to spread confusion with his misinformation!" Kawashiro retorted. "Don't listen to this bastard."

"Heh, an unbelieving idiot. Anyway, it seemed that the magician has used healing magic."

The alien mocked Kawashiro's refusal to believe him.

"There are only two possibilities after everything that happened last night. Either that dark magician somehow discovered a method to invoke the harmonious element of Deoh; or there is another magician or Meringian helping her or an unrelated magician using healing magic. Anyway, the situation is too complicated for me to explain with mere words."

Kawashiro Nitori furrowed her eyebrows.

Besides Shirayuki, there was only Asakura Rikako.

Kawashiro became intensely skeptic of the man's words.

If the man was correct, then there was only one person who would have performed magic on Shirayuki; the scientist Asakura Rikako.

Naturally, the bluehead rejected that possibility.

"This is nothing more than mere propaganda spread by you spies."

Kochiya Sanae nodded at Kawashiro's words.

The greenhead who could not suspect her teacher as the magician immediately dismissed the thought.

How could a scientist who was completely immersed with scientific researches be able to study magic, or even perform magic?

Moreover, the scientist was just as shocked as them upon seeing Shirayuki.

Thus, there was no way the scientist could be the said magician.

Of course, neither Kawashiro nor Kochiya seemed to know the truth behind the true nature of Asakura Rikako.

Nor did they know the truth about themselves.

For people with limited knowledge, it was the simplest conclusion to reach.

The alien grinned in satisfaction.

"Heh, skeptics. Tyradorians are always skeptical and suspicious of others. That's why idiots such as you guys reject Deoh. When presented with arguments about His existence, you guys would ask questions such as 'who created Deoh?' and all nonsense and barbaric stuff. Although…it seems that I've talked a bit too much, have I?"

"Regardless of anything you have in that twisted mind of yours, you will never get anything from us!" shouted Kochiya.

Executioner Kohor nodded his head.

He had expected such response beforehand.

He knew that there was no room for negotiation.

The only negotiation was a negotiation by the exchange of power.

Kochiya tightened the grip of her fist, while Kawashiro grinned as she looked at her enemy.

Realizing that, he stretched his arms and cracked his finger.

"Well…don't die here. There will be nobody to help anyone of you, but I'd be in big trouble if your bodies were discovered by the prosecutors."

 **Part 3**

An earthquake like shock caused the ground beneath the two women to tremble.

It was as if a bomb has just exploded.

"Dammit!" Kochiya muttered to herself.

At the same time, the magician grinned.

The alien remained stoic as he walked towards his enemies with one intention: to kill them.

But, he was not without any obstacle.

"Yo, third-rate scum. Don't forget about me!"

The voice of Kawashiro Nitori broke the arrogance of the alien who thought that he won the battle.

"…"

A powerful stream of water immediately rushed towards the magician.

It was moving at such a high speed while maintaining a dense, solid form. A direct hit from the stream of water could very well turn the Meringian into pieces of meat.

Despite that, the magician was calm.

"Interesting," the magician praised. "But…let me warn you something. Doing this will only lead to your annihilation."

The bluehead twitched her lips in annoyance.

"Is that so? Then, let me show you how Kawashiro Nitori fights!"

The bluehead's arrogance shot to its maximum level upon hearing the threat from her enemy.

To Kawashiro Nitori, there was nothing that could be more exciting than to see her enemy agitate her. It gave her a twisted form of motivation to continue fighting.

The pillar of water went straight towards the magician.

The water was only three meters away from the alien named Kohor.

Yet, the magician only chanted a verse.

"In the name of Deoh, I seek blessing from your overflowing power!"

The pillar of water that was almost touching the magician froze.

Kawashiro could not exactly determine the distance between her attack and the magician, but her mental calculation guessed that they were just a few millimeters apart from each other.

"?!"

The bluehead was surprised to see the seemingly unscientific phenomenon that stopped her attack. She heard about it from Kochiya last night, but seeing it with her own naked eyes gave her a different impression of what magic was.

She could understand if the attack was stopped through a scientific or psychic mean.

But this attack was different.

It was totally unlike what she knew.

It defied common sense and the normal rules of the world.

"NITORI! Don't let your guard down!" Kochiya shouted.

The bluehead returned to her senses after being called by her ally. Despite everything that happened, she was still in a battle. She could not afford the luxury of being distracted by her enemy.

Kawashiro immediately retreated backwards and joined Kochiya.

"Saint Niptune who was blessed with the Power, hear me! Lend me your power and help me crush the enemies of Deoh!"

Kawashiro Nitori, who vaguely knew the name that was being invoked by the magician frowned in disgust. The bluehead loathed history in general, thus she frequently 'only studied to pass' her examinations during her university years.

"Saint Niptune, huh?"

In Meringian history, the alien named Saint Niptune was considered a legend. It was said that he was a pious man who brought and upheld the teachings of Deoh to various parts of the galaxy as a missionary.

Of course, that was not the interesting part of Saint Niptune's story.

According to Meringian history and religious mythology, Saint Niptune once visited a planet inhabited by planets occupied by an alien species that worshipped a water serpent as its ultimate god.

The serpent was said to be the most powerful god in the planet. It was a serpent with hands and horns, that it is thicker than a great tree thousands of years old, and so long that it blocks out the sky.

Its cry rends the heavens and causes thunderstorms.

When it stirs, mountains crumble and earthquakes occur.

The native people were afraid of invoking its wrath and worshipped it obediently.

As such, the serpent god was considered as the world's god of creation.

When Saint Niptune visited the alien world and preached to the people about Deoh and His omnipotence and magnificence, only a few followed the religion of Deoh.

Yet, his persistence in spreading the religion enraged the native people and the serpent god.

As the serpent god came out from the seas to execute Saint Niptune, the sky was rent with constant thunder, the land was engulfed in a flood that threatened to submerge it, and for an instant, the skies were completely dark.

What Saint Niptune did was simple.

 _In the name of Deoh, I seek blessing from your overflowing power, he said._

 _Deoh, help me to crush this vile enemy that faked itself as you_ , he prayed.

 _Deoh, let the innocent lives know that only you are worthy of worship_ , he said.

As the serpent that ruled over water and claimed itself to be the god of creation used all its might to execute Saint Niptune, its attacks froze.

None of its attacks reached Saint Niptune.

Instead, a powerful beam of light that illuminated the world blasted from the heavens, removing the darkness that was caused by the serpent. The skies were dyed in golden light that was different from ordinary rays.

The serpent trembled in fear as it witnessed the miracle of Saint Niptune.

As the heavens turned into pure gold, a powerful beam of light descended from the skies like a powerful lightning and a loud thunder that silenced anything could be heard.

With that, the arrogant serpent met its end.

The serpent that arrogantly claimed that it ruled the world met its demise upon facing divine punishment from Deoh.

The serpent that was said to wield power over creation and destruction perished due to the heavenly attack from Deoh. Out of fear for the new God, the native aliens accepted the religion of Deoh in masses upon witnessing the death of their greatest god in the 'hands of Deoh'.

Since then, Saint Niptune became known as the apostle who ruled the seas and casted down the lights of Deoh to its enemies.

"If that was the case…then?!" Kawashiro remembered.

If the magician invoked the mythology of Saint Niptune, would the power of mythology be materialized into the real world?

The bluehead only had gist of knowledge about magic from her experience reading comics and novels, thus she could not be sure.

To make the situation worse, the alien standing before her smirked.

True to the mythology of Saint Niptune, a beam of golden light fell down from the sky.

It went right towards Kawashiro Nitori.

Executioner Kohor grinned as he witnessed the heavenly light falling towards her enemy.

He realized that the attack was far from the attack called forth by Saint Niptune. It was impossible for someone like him to replicate a miracle done by one of the greatest magicians in Meringian history.

But, even that was enough to fry Kawashiro Nitori eternally.

Even a small fraction of that powerful beam could easily annihilate an entire city, and the magician focused the attack towards Kawashiro Nitori.

Now, what sort of skill was required for a magician to accomplish such a feat?

Kawashiro Nitori leapt towards her right as she attempted to escape the trajectory of the powerful beam of light.

Executioner Kohor remained in his position.

Even if Kawashiro dodged the direct assault of the beam, the shockwave from the beam was sufficient to knock the bluehead and injure her.

With that in mind, he could care less whether Kawashiro dodged his attack or not.

But there was something that the magician seemed to forget.

The other combatant, Kochiya Sanae immediately leapt towards Kawashiro's position and raised her right hand.

The right hand that could destroy all miracles came into contact with the beam of light said to be the miracle of Saint Niptune.

At first, the magician thought that the greenhead was an idiot that was willing to give away her life for nothing.

But a strange phenomenon made the magician froze in his place.

The beam of light dissipated into nothingness.

There was not a single trace of injury on the woman's right hand.

The alien narrowed his eyes and focused his sight at the greenhead's right hand.

Executioner Kohor heard about the right hand, but again, witnessing it in action was different from listening to stories about how it truly worked.

"So, is that the disgusting right hand that was said to be capable of killing Deoh?!"

The alien's expression turned from delight to fury.

Kochiya turned her attention towards her enemy, and Kawashiro stood beside her.

"While my ability is just a fraction of Saint Niptune's power, it is true that my ability is a blessing and miracle of Deoh!" the alien roared in fury.

He could not believe that a mere human would be able to challenge a miracle of Deoh by just raising her right hand.

For someone to actually negate a miracle or a blessing of Deoh, it was seen as an act of blasphemy and arrogance for the person has sinned by rejecting Deoh.

Kochiya did not realize that fact and charged forward towards the alien.

Her right hand was tightly clenched and her aim was fixated.

"To imagine that a filthy atheist would be able to wield that right hand and reject Deoh's blessings disgusts me!"

The alien immediately prepared an ad-hoc spell that could possibly counter the ability known as the God Killer.

It was rather common for magicians to come up with new spells during battles, and experiment with the new spells immediately upon realization. It was an important skill for magicians to come up with new spells immediately in the battlefield to face with new enemies.

Inability to be flexible with magic would lead to the demise of the magician itself.

The method was risky but the results obtained would be very accurate and satisfactory.

"Deoh, show your wrath upon this human who claims that she can KILL Y-!"

The asphalt road was shattered and chunks of stones flew from the ground.

A wide line distanced ten meters could be seen forming on the road.

However, this was not caused by the magician's spell.

"GUHH!" the alien screamed.

Executioner Kohor's body flew backwards by ten meters.

Judging from his reaction, it seemed that he had received the impact of the sudden attack.

The magician was forced to use an impact-absorbing spell to reduce the potential damage done on his frail body from the impact of the attack.

Due to that, the alien could not finish his original incantation.

"Don't forget that you're fighting two enemies at the same time," the assailant calmly spoke.

Kawashiro Nitori calmly walked over the divided road while her twin tails moved as if a gentle wind blew over them.

She looked at the Meringian with the look that a human would upon seeing an interesting object.

"You must have prepared a spell to prevent me from manipulating your bodily liquid," the woman continued. "I don't really understand how magic works, but try your best to entertain me, **third-rate**."

The magician stood up.

"Interesting."

That one word was the only thing coming out from the magician's mouth.

"I suppose it should be fine for me to go all out against both of you."

Executioner Kohor was no longer speaking as an undercover agent of the Meringian Cathedral.

"Then, allow me to show you the power of an Archmage of the Meringian Cathedral."

For any Meringian who was involved in the deep state of the Meringian Cathedral, the title of an Archmage was feared and sought by many magicians. Only the top mages in the Meringian world could wield the title of Archmages.

In the next instant, the air above Kawashiro's head was sliced apart like he wielded a giant laser weapon. In shock, she froze in place and the rigid structure of a building that could withstand thousands of nuclear strikes behind her to the right was silently sliced through diagonally as if it were made of butter.

The strike had been so quick Kawashiro had never even seen the true form of attack exposed in the air. Her legs were glued on the ground, unable to move.

The only reason she was still standing was because Executioner Kohor had intentionally missed. That was the only probable answer to her lingering thoughts.

The situation seemed so unreal that she had only just barely managed to realize that fact.

Her enemy was so absurdly powerful that his mind could not keep up.

She had just realized this, but she had totally underestimated the capability of her enemy.

With a loud thud, the sliced rigid building sliced by the attack fell to the ground behind Kawashiro Nitori.

Though the wreckage of the building fell so closely by, Kawashiro was still frozen at her position.

The shock from the attack has completely frozen her legs.

"…!"

On the other hand, Kochiya gritted her teeth at the thought of how ridiculously powerful the attack must have been.

The hardened veteran that wielded the title of an Archmage looked at his enemies with contempt.

"So?" he asked. "Do you still want to fight? We can settle this issue peacefully without any bloodshed, Tyradorian."

It was a peace proposal done by someone who held absolute advantage over his enemies.

It was also a form of intimidation by a powerful force towards enemies to discourage them from continuing hostilities.

"I will ask as many times as necessary. Anyway, that dark magician can't blame you for giving up on her. You're fighting against one of the best magicians in the Meringian Cathedral. Even lasting for thirty seconds against me is an impressive feat."

Kochiya felt a tinge of nervousness and stepped back.

The greenhead felt that this would be an intense battle just like one would observe in the battlefield.

With a roar, something flew with frightening speed.

"!?"

Kochiya felt like giant laser guns were being fired from all directions. She almost mistook this place for a real battlefield where soldiers would exchange fires.

The difference between the battlefield fought by soldiers and this place was the absence of weapons.

Anyway, it was like a giant tornado made up of blades of air.

Kochiya Sanae watched as that typhoon sliced the asphalt, the streetlights, and the trees lining the street at set intervals to pieces as if it were an industrial water jet cutter. A handbag-sized piece of asphalt flew through the air and struck Kochiya's right shoulder, which was enough to send her body back by five meters and forced her to be in a defensive position.

Grasping her right shoulder, Kochiya looked around while moving only her eyes.

(That magician's doing?!) the greenhead thought.

However, Kochiya was wrong.

"My apologies," Kawashiro's voice could be heard. "It seems that I've underestimated you badly."

The woman said to wield the Power of God wore a terrifying grin on her face.

While the magician may have been one of the best that the Cathedral could offer, the bluehead was not someone to be underestimated.

Kochiya had a feeling that the whole region might be reduced to pure nothingness as both Kawashiro Nitori and Executioner Kohor resorted to force.

The magician however, gave a proud smile.

"I have always longed to fight a psychic. Show me the best that your atheistic Science could offer!"

As if he was mocking, Kohor used the inside of his feet to knock the ground a few times.

Without a single sound, a long, shiny and sharp metal that was over five meters long materialized from thin air.

"Right now, you're against the 60 quadrillion followers of the Meringian Cathedral, and you can escape with just the loss of a single pathetic dark magician. Is that a tough question at all? I thought it was a bargain."

The magician remained excited as he tightened the grip on that sword-like weapon of his.

"Heh!" Kawashiro retorted. "The real enemy isn't the so-called almighty Meringian Cathedral, but people like you who treat ordinary civilians as bait and manipulate them when they continue to believe in that crap you call Deoh."

As if mimicking the movements of the Meringian, Kawashiro stepped on the ground using her feet as well.

The Meringian thought that the psychic was trying to mock his magical summoning.

But, unlike the Meringian nothing came out from thin air.

Instead, Kawashiro's body propelled forward like a cannon ball being fired to its target.

The woman had concentrated her psychic energy on her feet and used it to propel herself forward towards the magician.

A crater was created as an effect of her propelling forward.

(Is she trying to have a physical fight against me?) the mage thought.

He then moved the sword in his right hand and sliced the open air in front of him.

The air that was sliced moved in a horizontal fashion towards Kawashiro.

The magician continued slicing the air using his sword in different angles.

 _Does that thing behave like a psychic sword?_ Kawashiro mumbled.

In an act of self-defense, Kawashiro released several blasts of psychic energy.

BAM!

The collision between the powered-up wind that could slice through mountains with ease and the psychic energy that could reduce an entire realm such as Gensokyou into mere quarks gave a powerful impact that shook the surrounding.

Glasses of the buildings in the radius of ten meters from the impact shattered.

A powerful mix that was both psychic and magical shook everything apart.

In self-defense, the already frozen Kochiya raised her right hand.

At the same time, Kawashiro used her psychic energy to manipulate the impact of the explosion to further push her body upwards and forward.

She was now a meter away from the magician.

The proud smile that was on the magician's face was long gone.

The breathless magician that was busy casting a defensive spell to protect himself from the impact of the explosion raised his sword in an immediate attempt to react towards Kawashiro's attack.

He realized that he was fighting an equally terrifying monster that was born from the experimentations of Science.

Without wasting any time, he immediately swung his sword to fend off the bluehead from approaching him.

The sword that was supposed to be capable of slicing through anything remained in its position as Kawashiro pressured the sword with her own psychic energy.

Despite being halted at her position, Kawashiro gave a smile.

Cold sweat dropped from the Meringian's forehead.

"W-Why are you smiling?! This means nothing at all!"

Fury returned to the Meringian that could not witness the smile that seemed to underestimate and insult his ability.

It was true that he was taken by surprise by Kawashiro's attitude and ability as he clearly underestimated her, but he was not going down that easily.

It would take more than a simple blitzkrieg attack to take down the seasoned warrior.

"In the name of Deoh…" he chanted.

Kawashiro raised her guard as she heard the chanting and looked at her environment.

The sword glowed in light blue as if it reacted to its wielder's emotion and chant.

"It shall be the flames that burns even Hell, and its form shall be a sword…"

The sword became even hotter and more powerful than before.

"Thou shall execute the enemies of Deoh and burn their souls **_FOREVEEEEEEER_**!"

Flames shot out from the sword. In response to that attack, Kawashiro leapt back to avoid the flames from hitting her.

But…

Even as Kawashiro flew backwards, she smiled at the magician.

It was as if the woman was declaring her victory over the powerful magician.

The confused magician was unable to decipher the hidden message behind the woman's malicious smile until…

His flames were erased.

"?!"

The powerful flames that could burn even Hell disappeared.

He was unable to fathom anything. The enemy was retreating, yet his attack disappeared.

He seemed to forget something.

Kawashiro Nitori was not the only enemy he was fighting. The enemy has distracted him from remembering the fact that he was fighting _two people_ , not one.

As he remembered that fact, he turned to his right.

Kochiya Sanae was standing with her fist tightly clenched.

The magician swung his almighty sword that could burn anything, but that too was useless before the God Killer.

"?!"

"Sorry, Archmage. You're too slow!"

Kochiya was not going to wait.

With all her might, she slammed her right fist towards the magician's body.

No magical defense was useful against the sheer force of the God Killer and despite his magical skills, he was still a Meringian with a frail body.

With just a punch from Kochiya, the magician landed on the ground with his back bouncing off three times.

Kochiya approached the magician that had seemed to be so powerful.

Right now, any magic spell would be nullified by the right hand that could kill God due to his proximity to Kochiya.

The only option left which was a physical fight would mean defeat for the Meringian.

Without any means of attacking or defending himself, the magician surrendered and lost his consciousness.

 **Part 4**

"Wow…I never thought that we can take down Meringians with just a punch," commented Kawashiro.

Kawashiro Nitori knew that Meringians were physically weak but she did not expect Meringians to be extremely weak.

Even Patchouli Knowledge would not lose her consciousness from a single punch, although she would most likely trip on the ground helplessly.

"You just need to know the right amount of force to punch them," Kochiya replied. "Overexerting the force of our punches could kill them for good."

Meringians were physically frail. A normal punch from a normal Earth human was enough to injure them.

A punch from a Tyradorian that had underwent the Psychic Development Curriculum that was physically stronger than youkai and lunarians would easily knock them down.

If a Tyradorian was serious, he could decapacitate or kill a Meringian in a physical brawl by punching them several times with very powerful blows.

"Damn…did you learn that from your experience in the military?" Kawashiro replied. "That's scary as fuck!"

Kochiya furrowed her eyebrows as she heard Kawashiro's hypocritical remark.

"Hello! Look at the surrounding! Who the hell caused this ruckus?!" Kochiya rebutted. "This is even more terrifying than a single punch!"

Kawashiro raised her hands and shook her head.

"This…this is self-defense. It's not my fault!"

However, the voice of another woman broke their little argument.

The voice congratulated them for creating the mess and defeating the Meringian.

There was no need for introduction as both Kochiya and Kawashiro recognized the voice.

It was a woman with red hairs in formal clothing. She was wearing a blue coat and a red dress shirt under her coat.

Behind her, there were three men in black with small guns and a handcuff.

"Thanks to you, the troublemaker has been neutralized. I was afraid that I might have to bloody my hands, but it seems that you guys always make my life easier!"

"Prosecutor Kotohime…" Kawashiro mumbled.

"Anyway, we're arresting that alien for causing ruckus. There are no more Meringian agents roaming in this planet, so you can be rest assured."

"What will happen to Shirayuki?" Kochiya asked.

The prosecutor remained silent.

"Who?" the prosecutor then asked. "Ah…that illegal resident that was being hunted by the Meringians?"

"You're not going to arrest and execute her, aren't you? Even if she's a religious person…"

"Who knows…" the prosecutor replied. "Heck, this is already outside of my jurisdiction. Although I do not have any intention of arresting that poor alien."

Kochiya, who could not believe her ears asked Kotohime to repeat her words.

"Like I said…I have no intention of arresting that alien in the first place. As long as she doesn't spread her propaganda here and assimilate with the Tyradorian culture, she is of no harm to us. She isn't a spy from her homeland either, so I can close my eyes and consider her a tourist."

Kochiya and Kawashiro were both surprised by the answer.

The prosecutor merely gave a kind smile to the two women she once 'saved'.

"I made my decision clear, didn't I? So, don't give me that stare or I'll punch those idiot-looking faces with my hands."

 **Intermission: The Days Ahead**

The God Killer and the Power of God returned from the wet market after fighting against a magician that proclaimed itself to be one of the finest in the Cathedral.

While the fight was short, it also gave them a glimpse of the hidden secrets of the Meringian Cathedral. If they were forced to fight against an organization that wielded such capable people, even they might not be able to last longer than a few days.

Because of that, they were relieved when Kotohime told them that the Meringians have halted the operation to hunt the lunarian.

With assurance from Kotohime that the Meringians would give up on Shirayuki, it was similar to a declaration of victory to both of them.

In fact, neither Kochiya nor Kawashiro could believe that the most powerful religious organization in the universe finally decided to give up on their pursuit because of them.

Of course, Jade was the most excited person upon hearing this news from the women's own mouths.

"So, the Society has decided to regroup and retreat after their two agents were defeated by my faithful allies Mad Scientist and Lunatic Engineer! HAHAHAHAHA!"

"Mad Scientist? Lunatic Engineer?" Shirayuki muttered.

The lunarian then stared at Kochiya Sanae and Kawashiro Nitori.

"Please don't tell this alien that it refers to both of you, right?"

The two women whose epithet were being mentioned by Jade immediately avoided eye contact with the lunarian out of shame.

The mad woman's laughter echoed in Asakura's house.

"Take that, damned Society! That is just what my allies are capable of! If it was me, with Magna's blessing all of you would be praying for mercy from me instead!"

Again, the mad woman laughed loudly.

Even Shirayuki concluded that there was no salvation for the woman who was trapped in her delusion.

"YOU! Little magician, hear me! There is a reason why Magna brought you to me!"

"Err…" Shirayuki muttered helplessly. "I'm actually older than you despite my appearance."

"Huh?" Jade muttered in surprise. "Oh well, who cares. This is Tyrador. Nobody cares about your age once you passed the legal, adult age as dictated by law."

That thinking was considered normal in Tyrador.

For Tyradorians, respect was something earned and not a privilege to the elderly.

Besides, the inhabitants of the scientific Pure Land were not subjected to the limits of life and death, and age was one of them. Because of that, age was largely ignored by Tyradorians and there would be no 'age' question in any government or corporate forms.

Some Tyradorians have forgotten their ages after living for too long. There were those who were millions of years, and there were even original colonizers from Earth that left Atlantis after the Great Quake living in this planet more than a billion years ago.

Because of that, Jade ignored Shirayuki's argument about her age and continued with her nonsense.

"Yes. Magna told me that this is fate, for you will be part of the resistance against the omniversal Society that only yearns for absolute dominance!"

"Please leave me out of this," the lunarian replied.

"Everything that happens, happens because Magna wills it to be…" Jade continued. "Indeed, even today is the choice of The Way."

(The Way? Is she a Taoist or something?) Shirayuki thought.

Because of that…"

The woman named Jade immediately grabbed Shirayuki's hands and looked at the lunarian enthusiastically.

"Tell me all about your home world."

The lunarian's jaw dropped.

"Can't you be more direct about your wishes?!" the lunarian replied. "Don't go around and beat around the bush, talking about Magna nonsense only to find out about my hometown."

"She's just like that," Kochiya replied. "Always hiding her real intention with words such as 'Magna dictates' and all sorts of nonsense coming out from her otaku brain."

Jade turned her gaze at Kochiya upon hearing the greenhead's criticism.

"Shut up, closet otaku! Who was it that cosplayed like a weird priestess, you damned cosplayer?!"

Kochiya blushed.

"I-I-I did not cosplay at all! No, no, no! That's bullshit!"

The panicked Kochiya Sanae immediately crossed her arms in denial.

"Shut up, Mad Scientist! What kind of scientist cosplays as a priestess?! You're a disgrace to Prof Rikako and the scientific community!"

"I did not cosplay as a priestess, dammit! Why would I, the Mad Scientist rejects my own identity by becoming a priestess? And besides, why would an atheist like myself play the role of a priestess?"

Jade grinned sarcastically.

"So, you admitted of being a Mad Scientist, you closet otaku? GUAHAHAHAHA! That's why you have no boyfriend at all, closet otaku!"

Kochiya, who fell right into Jade's trap blushed.

"ZIP IT!" the greenhead shouted.

"No way, Mad Scientist with No Boyfriend! I'll make sure that you end up as a virgin for eternity! HAHAHAHA!"

Shirayuki could only sigh as she listened to the nonsense that Jade and Kochiya were talking.

At the same time, she was jealous at the two women.

They were so full of themselves and were cheerful unlike herself.

She has always been secluded in pursuit of her research. The isolationist behavior of lunarians didn't help her either.

As such, she was very envious of the two women that were talking to each other from their hearts.

The lunarian hadn't realized it, but her lips were curved upwards in delight.

"Why are you smiling, AAAALIIEEENN?" Jade asked. "Don't think that you can escape my question…"

"Call me by my name!" Shirayuki shouted. "It's Shirayuki, not AAAALIIEEENN!"

"ALIEN SPECIMEN 001!" Jade shouted. "That is your name from now own! No, MAGIC ALIEN SPECIMEN 001!"

"G-GUUH!"

The lunarian was unable to fathom Jade's weird nickname labelled on her.

"I am not your test specimen!"

"Of course not," Jade muttered. "You're her test specimen," she continued.

Jade's fingers were pointed at the Mad Scientist, Kochiya Sanae.

Kochiya only gave out a long sigh and smiled.

She wasn't sure about the future.

No one could. Even if someone used the most powerful supercomputers to predict the future, there was always some variables that could be changed.

As such, the future has always been an exciting adventure as no one could truly predict it.

Kochiya Sanae and her team did not realize it yet, but they have just started their adventure that would change the foundation of the omniverse.

And it all started when the greenhead met the lunarian.

* * *

 **Author's note: Aloha! It's been some time since I last updated this story. I apologize for my hectic schedule of university final exam, followed by an investment banking internship, a social startup project on microfinance and a volunteer project I was responsible for (running concurrently). Oh, and my auxiliary police camp. Even so, here it is! As usual, please leave your comments :D**


	7. Chapter 6

**Prelude: The 'Union'**

According to a certain goddess that resided in Hell (although the said goddess had three bodies and was connected to Earth, Moon and the Otherworlds), each world was fundamentally interconnected.

In a way, it meant that something that happened in another world could easily influence another world's condition. The only matter was whether the influence was direct or indirect.

For instance, if a global war broke out at the Outside World, then it was possible for Muenzuka to be filled with large number of souls that must be ferried across the Sanzu to Higan.

These souls might be able to cause the repeat of the Phantasmagoria of Flower View incident and cause the Hakurei maiden a headache.

That was just an example. Obviously, there were many other examples that would simply prove that there was no such thing as a completely isolated world.

Feudal Japan has been influenced by Dutch merchants in several periods throughout history despite its closed-door policy, and the Lunar Capital reacted to the scientific and political progress on Earth as a troublesome matter.

Even the Confederation of Tyrador was influenced by the politics of its neighbors.

Anyway, Hakurei Reimu stood in front of her shrine as she witnessed something that was _oddly familiar_ to her. Despite having a faint memory about it, she still felt that she has somehow seen it beforehand.

"This is…"

(Why do I feel that I have encountered this ship before?)

She has been taken by surprise when the large spaceship that she almost mistook for mere ruins appeared in front of her shrine.

Her apprentice and shrine maiden, Hakurei Rukako was even surprised. The younger Hakurei had intended to enter the large ship that was could easily be mistaken for a large ruin falling from the sky.

While Hakurei Reimu was distracted by the large ship that was unlike the Palanquin Ship, another woman dived from the sky.

It was the ordinary magician, Kirisame Marisa.

"OOHH! That's a big ship! Is it a new kappa invention, da ze?"

Even the magician was surprised by the appearance of the unreasonably large ship.

"Oh, it's you, Marisa," the elder Hakurei replied.

As usual, Hakurei Reimu maintained her indifferent reaction upon seeing the magician.

Her attention was mainly on the large ship, but her reaction towards Kirisame was also due to her familiarity with the magician.

"I don't think so. Anyway, doesn't this ship remind you of something?"

The magician tried touched her chin as she thought further about Hakurei's words.

Hakurei Reimu pressed the magician further as she saw Kirisame's blank expression while thinking about the ship.

"This is…" Kirisame muttered.

It was of no use. The magician Kirisame Marisa seemed to not recognize the ship at all while Hakurei had an odd feeling of recognizing it.

Was this feeling something that stemmed from her own adventures that excluded Kirisame?

Or was it from her childhood?

Anyway, the new goddess of the Hakurei shrine could not gauge the proper answer to the question in her mind.

That was until, the door of the ship opened itself.

It gave the vibe of an unknown UFO that has just landed on ground opening its doors and entrance.

The mysterious and scientific vibe could be felt from the opening of the ship's only entrance.

Hakurei Rukako swallowed her saliva in nervousness. The younger shrine maiden was already preparing for combat.

Her mind was somehow imagining that weird creatures would suddenly open fire and shoot her down.

So was Hakurei Reimu and Kirisame Marisa. If weird aliens holding electric guns somehow came out from the spaceship and started to declare war on Gensokyou, then she would have no other option but to fight them with all her might.

Of course, their illusions were shattered when they heard the voice of a Japanese woman talking to another person. The language was slightly out of the place compared to Gensokyou's dialect, however it was still fathomable by the women.

"Chiyuri, are you sure that this is the right coordinate?"

The voice made both Hakurei Reimu and Kirisame Marisa stepped back in surprise.

They didn't retreat out of fear; rather they were too surprised by the voice that they unconsciously took a step back.

"Wait, are you doubting me right now?" another voice asked.

Two women emerged out from the entrance of the large ship.

One of the two women has blonde hair and yellow eyes. She wore a white sailor uniform with a shade of blue which looks too small for her and has a blue neckerchief, a white hat and a blue ribbon.

The other person has red eyes and dark red hair, with a matching dark red cape, vest, cloth shoulders, and skirt. She was wearing a white shirt and bright red bow tie.

"Well…" the woman in red replied, "You did your coordinates right this time, Chiyuri."

The woman in red then smiled as if she was meeting an old friend.

Hakurei Reimu and Kirisame Marisa were speechless as they saw the two women before them.

"Don't give me the stupid look, Reimu, Marisa," the woman in red spoke. "It's me, Okazaki Yumemi."

"And I'm Kitashirakawa Chiyuri!" the blond woman introduced herself.

Upon hearing the two names, both Hakurei Reimu and Kirisame Marisa entered a state of 'enlightenment' as they recalled the distant past.

After half a minute of recalling the incident, Hakurei Reimu finally muttered a word.

"Yumemi?" she asked.

The woman in red nodded.

"It's been like…forever, hasn't it?!" Hakurei replied.

Hakurei Rukako, who knew nothing about the distant incidents decided not to interfere with her elders' discussion.

"And you guys looked very different from last time!" Chiyuri spoke cheerfully. "While our look hasn't changed that much…"

Okazaki shrugged off Kitashirakawa's statement and laughed at it.

"We're literally time travelers. Obviously, we don't age that quickly."

Kirisame Marisa merely sniffed at Okazaki's statement. The young professor thought that the magician was acting weird, but she then assumed that it was a natural behavior of hers.

"So, what brings you here?" Hakurei asked.

"Suspicious as usual, eh?" Kitashirakawa asked sinisterly. "Well, it has been an extremely long time. So, we just thought that it would be nice for us to drop by and say hello."

The goddess that was once a shrine maiden smiled.

"Well. That's quite nice of you guys," Hakurei Reimu replied.

The new Hakurei goddess then commanded the new shrine maiden to prepare the necessary arrangements to accommodate the unexpected guesses.

* * *

01:44 a.m., Siptimbar 12, Year 3200.

The Confederation of Tyador.

It was a scientific Pure Land where there was no such thing as life and death. Its purity exceeded that of the Netherworld and the Lunar Capital and its technology was ahead of any other civilization by millions of years.

The planet itself, Tyrador was an Earth-sized planet. The composition of Tyrador was rather almost the same with Earth, with a slight difference in land distribution where there was only one island with the size of Australia located at the southern hemisphere of the planet.

Despite that, it was barely the most recognizable feature of this world.

This world was famous as a large psychic development facility where governments, corporations and scientific institutions collaborated to create as many high-quality psychics as possible.

That was the defining feature of this world that everyone in this Sector recognized Tyrador for.

All 3 billion citizens of Tyrador ranging from its most powerful politician to the ordinary members of the society underwent the Psychic Development Curriculum.

Of course, the powers were classified with several labels to ease identification; the powerless, the power users and the Multi-Skills.

In this world, the 'powers' weren't some abnormal spiritual power related to any religion or magic. In fact, all religions were banned from being practiced in Tyrador and the general populace were mainly atheists and agnostics.

The 'powers' that were developed here had a scientific basis.

From the simplest telekinetic power to God-tier abilities, they were all derived through purely scientific methods without offering even a single prayer to God.

Theoretically and practically, anyone who has underwent the Psychic Development Curriculum would be able to attain psychic abilities, and the abilities could grow or increase in number through training and strict scientific development procedures.

Like any other worlds, there were many residential areas where people lived. However, even the cheapest house in this planet was of greater quality and luxury than the grand palaces that could be found in the solar system.

One of the many residential areas, the Special Residential Area of Xhala was an exclusive residential area in Tyrador. It was similar to other residential areas in Tyrador, however it was notably more expensive due to its strategic location to the capital city, Xhala and its proximity to many facilities nearby.

In this residential area, a certain house was still illuminated with light.

This house was attacked by a Meringian agent a month ago as it hunted for an alien that was from a distant world.

There was some collateral damage but it seemed that all damages have already been repaired in just a few hours. It would only be possible due to Tyradorian technology.

The restless woman named Kochiya Sanae was one of the two owners of this house. The other owner, Kawashiro Nitori lived at the basement of the house that harbored a mini-laboratory.

But right now, Kochiya Sanae was suffering from the sheer amount of work she planned to settle before her next board meeting.

This was the life of Kochiya Sanae, an executive board director serving a large Tyradorian conglomerate.

Despite the fact that it was a weekend, she still couldn't close her eyes while her subordinates at work has most likely lied on the bed and closed their eyes.

She envied the simple life of ordinary office workers. She was once an ordinary office worker, before her envy and desire took control of her and turned her into an efficient workaholic for the past few decades.

Still, she was an ambitious person that had prioritized her career progression over some aspects of her life to make up for her apparent lack of talent in developing her psychic ability.

In other words, this was something that Kochiya Sanae has brought upon herself.

"SAVE ME! DAMN IT! SHIT, SHIT SHIT! WHAT IS THIS SHEET ALL ABOUT?!" the woman complained silently. "THIS DOESN'T EVEN TALLY! HOW THE HELL DO THESE PEOPLE EVEN WORK IN THE FIRST PLACE?"

Kochiya Sanae cried out in agony as she bent her body back in an attempt to stretch her body. She was surprisingly still in her work attire despite returning from office at 8:00 p.m., and has been sitting inside her study room for more than four hours. Since then, she has shut herself and went through her unfinished work from office.

Despite graduated with a summa cum laude in Physics from the best university in Tyrador, she still loathed reading through the intricacies of accounting and finance.

However, it was not because she found accounting and finance to be difficult. To a woman who could easily calculate 12-dimensional non-Euclidean geometry with a level of mastery that even Yakumo Yukari would be envious of, financial mathematics was rather simple.

At least, the concept and the mathematical assumptions used in finance were simpler compared to the ones applied in the field of Physics. In fact, transitioning from Physics to a more actuarial and financial approach of mathematics was not even a challenge for her. Even professional accountancy papers were decent enough for her to pass with the minimum effort put into studying.

Instead, she loathed going through accountancy because of the discrepancies between the raw data and the final figures reported on paper especially when handling internal audit.

Anyone with experience in corporate finance would be able to tell the story about how companies could give data with large variances between its raw data and its final data to be reported in its financial statement.

Although other accountants and financial analysts assured her that these discrepancies were within the acceptable range, she still couldn't fathom the logic behind it.

Other than reviewing the financial information of the company and assessing the overall risk that the conglomerate currently faced, she had to review new businesses and potential actions of the conglomerate and figure out its risks and methods to mitigate business risks.

It was an analytical job even for a high-ranking individual, as people would ask her the data and justification behind her decisions.

Of course, Kochiya could always call other people and ask for their clarification while working in office, but it was impossible to do that outside of work.

But even if she managed to deal with the 'internal audits', there was still 'overall risk overview' and 'potential risk overview' documents that she needed to go through.

Kochiya thought that she was certainly going to explode from overworking.

(Uu...)

Kochiya rested her body on the chair and laid her body back. She then turned her gaze at her right hand.

The God Killer—the power that was hidden in Kochiya's right hand.

It was said that the right hand could even kill the omnipotent God and nullify any supernatural ability whether scientific or magical. Whether it was fire as hot as the Sun's core, a toughened mass of rocks, the winds that was colder than anything else or even the flames that could burn even Hell, it would be nullified without exception.

But such a great ability wasn't of any use in completing her seemingly endless work.

She couldn't just touch her workload and make it disappear.

Even if it did disappear, she felt that the company was going to demand compensation from her for wiping off confidential data.

Anyway, she was blessed yet was unlucky at the same time.

Her situation that sat right between the boundary of misfortune and fortune could only be described as a miracle even if she would just shout at you and claim that it was nowhere near a miracle.

While the human scratched her head stressfully, the sound the door opening could be heard.

Kochiya Sanae, who was acting like a student doing late-night studying as her last and only preparation before taking a major examination turned her attention to the door.

It was the only distraction that could temporarily make her forget the pain of her immense and serious work.

She then looked at the person standing at the door.

It was the new freeloader, the alien Shirayuki.

The lunarian had been staying together with her for more than a month by now.

To be honest, Kochiya was surprised by the lunarian's ability to quickly adapt with the Tyradorian culture.

The proof of her assimilation to the culture of the new world was the clothes she was wearing.

The lunarian was wearing a Tyradorian cut t-shirt and trousers rather than wearing her typical lunarian clothing.

Well, it was not even a problem to Kochiya although she still wanted to know more about the alien's traditional culture.

Anyway, the lunarian was holding two bowls and a plate with a pair of fork and spoon filled with rice, green vegetables and Tyradorian fish using both her hands.

"Nitori asked me to bring these to you," the lunarian muttered.

It was already 1:44 a.m., and Kochiya's stomach growled.

The greenhead recalled that she has not bitten anything since she left the house for work.

Rather, she totally forgot about her meals. She skipped her lunch to finish her endless sea of work, and forgot about dinner after she reached home.

Since Kawashiro was responsible to prepare dinner that night, the greenhead went right towards her study room to work after reaching home.

However, Kawashiro was just as busy as Kochiya and the bluehead cooked at 9:00 p.m.

Yet, Kochiya was too distracted by work to even remember her dinner.

When Shirayuki observed the women's working behavior, she felt terrified.

Both Kochiya and Kawashiro were ruthless workers that would continue working even after office hours, and they would do everything in an efficient manner.

Of course, it meant that they slept like logs after finishing their jobs and rested well during weekends.

The Tyradorians prefer to finish everything in an effective and efficient manner. Even so, they also did their jobs as quickly as they could.

If it was possible for Tyradorians to pull off everything in a night.

They would skip their sleeping hours to finish the job so that they may rest on another day when the job was done.

There would be days where Tyradorians would be seen relaxing, idling, spending time playing games and going to the gym in their offices especially for those working on a project basis. At other times, they would be working zombies that were totally immersed in their jobs.

As the result, Tyradorians have the shortest real working time yet Tyrador has the largest GDP in the Milky Way galaxy and the universe.

The Tyradorian working culture that stressed on efficiency, accuracy, effectiveness and swiftness were different from the lunarian culture.

On the contrary, lunarians were very laid-back unlike Tyradorians and loathed work. Once work hours ended, the lunarians would immediately relax and ignored work until another day arrived.

It was great for the noncompeting lunarians but it also caused the lunarians to be much slower in progressing forward unlike the Tyradorians. The only reason lunarians have been ahead of Earth was due to its earlier establishment and the likes of Yagokoro aiding lunarians in their endeavors.

"Ah…thanks. Just put it here," the greenhead replied.

She pointed her finger at the space beside her workspace.

The lunarian obediently placed the foods like a servant preparing a meal for the master.

Although it seemed that way, she was not a servant. Neither in the literal sense nor in the hidden sense.

"Anyway, do you know that you can just teleport the food here?" Kochiya told.

It must have been a revelation to Shirayuki, because she gave a confused and shocked look at the greenhead.

There was no need for an explanation after seeing Shirayuki's look.

Kochiya immediately knew that the lunarian was clueless.

"Wait…really?" the lunarian asked. "No one ever told me that!"

Kochiya giggled.

While the greenhead laughed, a screen materialized and played a video.

It was a video showing the methods of using the teleportation function in the house. After seeing the video, Shirayuki was lost for words. She could not believe that she could easily do something like that to teleport items inside the house.

"I-I-I-Impossible…I never knew I could just do that…" the lunarian muttered.

There was a hint of disappointment in her mutter.

"It's a good form of exercise for you. You shouldn't be a shut-in all the time. Besides, the aliens aren't chasing you anymore, right?"

Kochiya smiled after replying to Kawashiro. It seemed like a motivational talk, but to Shirayuki it was adding salt to her emotional disappointment.

"…."

The guiltless Kochiya Sanae then took the bowl of rice and spoon and began filling her mouth.

She must have been really hungry, since she was quick to grab everything and inserted them inside her mouth.

In just ten seconds, she coughed.

"Eat slowly or you'll choke yourself!"

"Can't be helped," the greenhead replied. "I'm pretty busy!"

"You workaholic!" the lunarian shouted. "Relax and don't think about work while eating, idiot! Just eat and get your deserved weekend rest!"

The greenhead coughed and gave the lunarian's words some thoughts.

It was true that Sebt was supposed to be day free from work.

When the greenhead gave another thought, she then calmed down.

An idea came to her mind and a malicious grin then was carved from her face.

"Ooo…you're right, Shirayuki."

The greenhead gave an evil laughter.

The naïve lunarian simply looked at the greenhead in a confused manner.

Kochiya Sanae continued.

"Let's go out later. I have a terrific idea about what to do."

Not even the omniscient God could gauge Kochiya's mind at that moment.

 **Chapter 1: The 'Cold' War**

 **Part 1**

Siptimbar 12, 1:35 p.m. (September 12th, 1:35 p.m.)

It was technically still summer in the Confederation of Tyrador, but the weather was quite chilly as it was approaching fall with a temperature of 20 degrees Celsius.

Because of that, the weather felt as if someone was opening a large air-conditioner.

Despite that, neither Kochiya nor Kawashiro seemed bothered by the weather. In fact, the Tyradorians in the city of Xhala seemed to be doing fine under the chilly weather.

Kochiya and Kawashiro both woke up at exactly 12:00 p.m. after sleeping for 8 hours. As neither of them were diligent enough to cook in the middle of the day, they decided to take a walk and grab something in the metropolis while they were at it.

Naturally, Shirayuki followed the two women as well.

It has been a month since the lunarian lived in the Confederation of Tyrador, but she still looked at the metropolis with awe.

Unlike the lunar capital, the streets of the capital city of Tyrador was swarmed with Tyradorians and aliens of various species coming as tourists.

To Shirayuki, witnessing the aliens was something new. The lunar capital was primarily inhabited by moon rabbits and snobbish gods that thought that the solar system was everything in the universe and everything revolved around them.

That was one of the reasons she decided to leave the lunar capital, to begin with.

Even seeing various alien species with various physical features and behaviors made her felt small and excited. She really yearned to greet the aliens and asked them a lot of question to satisfy her own curiosity, but she realized that her actions would be interrupting the aliens, if not being rude.

As such, the lunarian would ask Kochiya and Kawashiro about the various alien species that fell into her eyesight like a child asking the names of aliens from parents.

"You sure are enthusiastic about those aliens, aren't you?" asked Kawashiro Nitori.

The woman wearing a light blue T-shirt fitting her size and jeans folded her arms afterwards.

The bluehead began complaining about how the aliens weren't even as exciting as the lunarian imagined after getting to know them.

For the two women that has been living in the Confederation of Tyrador for the past hundred years, aliens weren't even exciting.

"Let her be," Kochiya replied. A gentle smile could be seen from her face. "She's not even from this Sector. Obviously, she has never these aliens before."

Opposite to the hard-headed Kawashiro Nitori, Kochiya was softer in attitude.

The Kochiya Sanae of Gensokyou might be appalled by the view in the Confederation, but the Kochiya Sanae of Tyrador was barely impressed by the presence of aliens. She simply saw them as tourists and nothing more than that.

Kawashiro Nitori simply sighed at the lunarian that would pull Kochiya's long sleeved, dark green T-shirt and pointed everything that fell into her vision like a child doing the same thing to the parents.

"But, really! Who'd expect that there were so many alien species sharing the same universe with us!" Shirayuki replied enthusiastically.

The lunarian's gaze remained fixated at the aliens for a while.

She immediately stopped when Kochiya stopped.

It was a typical family restaurant one could find back on modern Earth.

In the middle of the city, it was easy to find a family restaurant. But it was unlikely that the two women would agree to stop at this specific restaurant just to satisfy their hunger.

Besides, Shirayuki could see a sea of humans and aliens enjoying their meals through the transparent glass wall from outside the restaurant.

Perhaps this restaurant was the best, thought the lunarian.

Otherwise, what could be the driving factor that made people willing to just spend their weekends eating here?

Besides that, this has been Shirayuki's first time eating outside in this world. Why shouldn't she try the delicacies in this world while she was at it?

…At that moment…

"Oi, what are the two of you doing here?"

...A mysterious male voice sounded from behind the three women.

Kochiya and Kawashiro turned back and looked at the source of the male voice.

Dark yellow colored suit with a white shirt, both unbuttoned. It revealed a bright yellow round neck shirt underneath his clothes. His shoulder length blond hair and blue eyes certainly attracted Shirayuki's attention for a while.

Anyway, the man had a charming face despite his thuggish clothing that gave an aura of crudeness.

 _Is this man really a friend of theirs?_ Shirayuki could not help but ask. The lunarian remained silent as Kochiya replied with a friendly greeting and a giggle.

To be honest, she felt contradicted. On one point, she could not even begin to comprehend the man's weird fashion and the seemingly thuggish aura he emitted from his clothing style.

On another point, she was mesmerized by the man's friendly and charming manner as he rubbed his head and greeted the two women.

"Hm, what's up, Sanae, …."

The man paused after seeing Kawashiro Nitori.

The lunarian also noticed the change in Kawashiro's facial expression.

Kawashiro Nitori, while revealing a shocked look on her face tried to hide it and acted bold.

"Uu!" Kawashiro instantly stiffened. She tried to hide the look of "met someone she truly wanted to meet, but did not expect to meet" on her face, and turned towards the direction of the voice.

"Heh," the bluehead replied. "Looks like the damn idiot has appeared unexpectedly."

Kawashiro's tone was a mix of fury and cuteness. No one could entirely guess the true emotions conveyed behind the mixed tone.

It also sounded like someone who was desperately trying to hide her own embarrassment.

"Hmm…I never expected to meet this annoying midget here outside of work" the man replied. "Midget Kawashiro Nitori!"

Kawashiro Nitori glared at the man that has called her a midget.

A fellow university classmate and colleague, Harold.

He was one of the people that Kawashiro found hard to handle.

With that said, their relationship went beyond mere 'university classmates' or 'colleagues'. Along with Jade, the man was one of the most influential person in Kochiya and Kawashiro's lives besides Asakura and Kotohime.

Besides being a close friend, the man was someone that could turn Kawashiro from a bold woman that feared almost nothing to a shy girl that would just gasp for air helplessly like a weak maiden without a single attack. According to Kochiya, Jade, Asakura and Kotohime the bluehead's heart and mind has already been conquered by the man, but the arrogant bluehead would never admit the fact due to her own inflated ego.

"Who are you calling a midget, huh, THE ZOMBIE?!"

She has received many nicknames, but hearing the nickname 'Midget Nitori' from that man somehow enraged her.

"Midget Kawashiro Nitori. The short, little babyface Nitori~!" the man continued. "Legal _loli_."

"Shut up! You damned cheater of an undead!" the bluehead shouted. "THE UNDEAD ZOMBIE!"

Kawashiro then realized that she was a bit too loud since everyone in the restaurant looked at her.

"That's what you get for being a damn midget, midget!" the man replied.

Kawashiro Nitori bit her lips and tightened the grip of her fist.

Her greatest wish was to land a few punches on the man's face but she had to restrain her actions in the restaurant filled with many people.

Again, Shirayuki pulled the greenhead's hand and hid behind the greenhead like a child hiding behind the parent after encountering a stranger.

 _You really need to learn some social skills_ , Kochiya thought after seeing Shirayuki's behavior.

At the same time, Kochiya realized that both Kawashiro and the man weren't exactly showing great social skills either. The two exchanged insults and mocked each other casually as if they were Houraisan Kaguya and Fujiwara no Mokou.

The man, who has just realized the presence of Shirayuki after getting in a squabble with Kawashiro greeted the lunarian politely.

"What...?" Shirayuki was shocked.

The lunarian was startled by the fact that the man was speaking to her.

To be honest, the lunarian felt awkward around the man. He did not emit any hostility but he was somehow…not very human-like despite being pure and having a human structure.

He gave an aura of a Kaguya version of a jiang-shi. That was the true reason behind Shirayuki's awkwardness around the man.

The man, somehow guessing Shirayuki's mind, raised his hand and waved it about.

"Hi there. I'm Harold! You must be one of Kochiya and Kawashiro's friends, I assume," the man said and extended his hand for a handshake. "Nice to meet you!"

Shirayuki noticed that the man's skin was rather pale like a sick person.

Despite that, she extended her right hand to accept the handshake.

(It's cold…) the lunarian thought.

The impression Shirayuki had upon touching the man's skin was that it felt cold like a machine despite having the texture of a human skin.

Was this man really a human?

Or was he another product of advanced Tyradorian science?

It would be rude for her to ask about it directly, but she truly wanted to know the answer to that question.

"Anyway, it's rare to see this midget making friends with people other than yourself and Jade," the man told Kochiya. "At least she still has a normal side to herself."

"Who are you calling abnormal?! You are the most abnormal monster I've ever met!" Kawashiro interjected.

Kochiya took a sneak peek at Shirayuki before giving a smile that conveyed various hidden emotions.

Even Shirayuki, a complete idiot in social relationships understood Kochiya's weird smile.

"Out of all places, why do you have to be here…dammit," Kawashiro squeaked.

The bluehead was rather restless and her cheeks turned slightly red.

Her mouth, while rash and cruel were contradicted by her refined and womanly body language.

"Enough with this meaningless talk…let's just eat already. Isn't that why people come to restaurants anyway?" said the man.

 **Part 2**

There was no word that could describe the lunarian's feelings.

As the weird Tyradorian dish consisting hot, steamed fish and some salad toppings entered the lunarian's mouth, she was lost for words.

It wasn't delicious nor was it mouth-watering.

It wasn't because the food was bad. Rather, saying that the food was bad was equal to saying that Buddha was a bad person.

Rather, Shirayuki thought that using such adjectives would be a total insult to the taste of food she was chewing inside her mouth.

The taste was of its own class; there was no known adjective that could describe the taste of the food accurately. Using terms such as 'tasty', 'delicious', 'nice' and other known human adjectives were mere understatements of the food's true taste.

"What…is this?" the woman muttered.

Every bite felt very precious to her. There was no way she would want to forget the heavenly taste of the tender fish meat and the crunchy salad that her taste buds detected.

The food was better than anything she has ever eaten in her home world.

This was truly the heaven of all foods.

Shirayuki now realized the reason behind the overwhelming crowd enjoying the meal inside the restaurant. The splendid taste of the food sold by the restaurant was just beyond description that everyone wanted to have a taste of it.

Kochiya only smiled as she gleefully enjoyed her meal.

The man who somehow ended joining the crowd was also enjoying himself with his meal. It was a spaghetti-like dish, but Shirayuki dare not comment about Tyradorian meals.

Tyradorians do not consume the typical human food eaten by lunarians and earthlings. Even Tyradorian vegetables were different from the ones found in the solar system.

Shirayuki recalled that she toyed with Tyradorian food for an hour when she sat in Asakura's house before even trying them. She was afraid of consuming the food for unknown reasons.

After all, the unknown has always been the factor of fear.

Anyway, as long as it was edible and tasty, the lunarian would delightfully swallow it into her stomach without any complain.

Despite that, one woman was eating in a courteously manner unlike others.

It was Kawashiro Nitori. She seemed to be controlling herself as if she was eating in a formal dinner. It was something that Shirayuki never saw for the whole month living in the Kochiya-Kawashiro household.

Some people might think that Kawashiro was simply playing with the food for a long time before consuming them like toddlers and small children. In fact, Kawashiro's small body size would easily misled people to think that Kawashiro was just a child.

(What's with that weird behavior, anyway?) the lunarian thought.

It was definitely unlike the Kawashiro Nitori known by Shirayuki.

"HEY MISS!" the sound of a male human shouted resoundingly in the restaurant.

It was a male human in a chef clothing. He stood akimbo and glared at a Meringian that was standing in front of him.

"What are you, an idiot?!" the human continued. "You do not expect us to let you free after ordering and eating so much, right?!"

The furious man was speaking loud enough that everyone in the restaurant literally looked at the man and witnessed the fury of the owner.

The man ignored the response from his customers and continued.

"You cannot actually try and escape after ordering a meal worth 340 Tyra and get away with it, don't you agree?"

Kochiya and Kawashiro dropped their spoons upon hearing the price of the food.

340 Tyra was a lot of money. In this restaurant that was of high quality yet also stressed on low price, the typical meal would be ranging from 5 to 10 Tyra.

If someone really spent that much money on food alone, one could only imagine the number of dishes, meals and side orders consumed.

It was no wonder that the chef exploded in fury.

Shirayuki however, ignored the heated argument between the Meringian and the human and continued eating her own meal.

Her experience with Meringians weren't pleasing. When she remembered that the Meringians almost killed her, she became apathetic towards the Meringians.

In fact, she somehow felt that the Meringian deserved to be scolded for not paying her meal.

"Please, let me get off with this for now…I promise you that I will repay when I'm in a better shape financially."

"Just how many times have you said that, you sly Meringian?!" the chef shouted again. "I am not cold-hearted but this has been the fifteenth time you have done this shit. How can I still tolerate your blatant lies?!"

The Meringian lowered her body and stared at the ground in shame.

"I don't care! If you're not paying then you're going to work to compensate for your accrued debts!"

(What a terrible alien) Shirayuki thought.

The chef's anger was reasonable; the alien has been a repeat offender of dine-and-dash attitude. If the chef tolerated the Meringian's behavior any longer then the Meringian would just repeat it again and again.

"I'll come back and repay you for sure! However, I cannot stay in this place for too long! I beg you, please!"

The Meringian looked around and her eyes began scanning everything that fell into her sight.

And it so happened that she saw a certain green-haired woman that was chewing her meal.

What was the Meringian planning to do?

One might think that she was about to start an incident inside the restaurant.

Perhaps she might cast a magic spell and cause havoc in the restaurant.

Or maybe she might just run away.

Either way, she could have escaped the chef and ran without paying anything.

But still, she did not.

Instead, she walked towards the green haired woman.

The God Killer, that has just swallowed the food inside her mouth startled.

Kochiya struggled in vain as she thought of ways to keep the alien away from herself.

 _Crap, this is not good!_ Kochiya thought.

She even drew a circle in the air using her finger in desperation as she hoped that the Meringian would somehow respond to the divine symbol.

But it was all in vain.

The Meringian continued to approach the greenhead and kneeled respectfully.

Kochiya furrowed her eyebrow and looked around. In this situation, she did not exactly know what to do.

"Help me," pleaded the Meringian.

The Meringian's expression was no different from a person who was sincerely praying to God while asking for His divine grace.

Kawashiro, Harold and Shirayuki turned their faces towards Kochiya Sanae.

The greenhead then looked at the three humans that have stared at her with weird expressions.

The greenhead knew.

"H-H-Hold on! Why are you giving me that face?!"

The Living God that Slays the Omnipotent God immediately raised her two hands in a defensive manner.

"Sanae, if you reach your hand out to this poor woman then Deoh will bless you," Kawashiro replied in the Meringian language. "Deoh, please soften the heart of this corrupt woman."

The bluehead was purposely mocking the Meringian by bringing up the name of the deity worshipped by the religion of the Meringian Cathedral, 'Deoh'.

Kochiya gritted her teeth upon hearing Kawashiro's hypocritical, missionary-like statement.

"Oi, atheist!" Kochiya shouted. "Don't fake yourself and act like a believer of the Cathedral."

"That's right, Sanae. May the Power that Be help you if you decide to help this poor woman," Harold replied.

Shirayuki merely gave a forced smile.

"Oi! What the fuck? Look at this, the tsundere husband and wife couple is ganging up on me?!" Kochiya replied.

If possible, Kochiya wanted to stay away from any kind of trouble.

The greenhead just wanted to live a 'normal' life unlike the Kochiya Sanae of Gensokyou.

The Kochiya Sanae of Tyrador was just a human who happened to wield the odd power that could execute God.

The Kochiya Sanae of Gensokyou however, might really do something after receiving that plea. She might do something like 'If you pray to Kanako-sama, she'll answer your prayers', or 'Let me help you with the power of my miracle!'.

But, the Kochiya Sanae of Tyrador was someone locked in common sense. She did not have the drive to be the heroine in a fantasy land. Instead, all she wanted was a successful career and a stable life to settle down in.

She could be said as the person furthest from eyeing the position of 'the savior' or 'the heroine'.

"No matter what you do, it's all useless. I'm not the person to help you," Kochiya mumbled. "You'd be better of praying to Deoh. This woman here is not God and does not believe in any. She can't help you."

"…So stingy. Won't even lend me 340 Tyra," the Meringian woman mumbled.

Kochiya heard the Meringian clearly but she decided to ignore her.

The greenhead pondered and thought something. Finally, she realized something.

"You idiot! Don't just go around and dine at other people's restaurants and then running away because you can't afford to pay for what you've eaten!"

Kochiya Sanae retorted after giving the situation some thought.

"Wow…Sanae's a racist prick," Kawashiro muttered. "You could lend a hand to an alien that came from a human world, but you won't even help a fellow Meringian who lives near our Sector."

Kochiya Sanae must have been furious because her temples could be seen bulging on her head.

The term 'racist' certainly made her furious.

Harold however, was lost for words. Since he did not know the circumstances behind Kawashiro's words, he decided to remain silent.

"Shut up! The two incidents are unrelated at all!" Kochiya retorted. The greenhead looked at Shirayuki, and continued. "That incident was about helping a damn human who was being hunted by weirdos just for doing her own business, but this alien totally created this situation by herself! Anyway, you speak too much…why don't YOU help her instead?"

Kawashiro Nitori fell into deep silence and looked at Harold instead.

She then turned her face away in embarrassment.

"W-W-WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO HERE, YOU?!" Kawashiro shouted.

The bluehead was lost for words.

Her face was totally red for an unknown reason after seeing the man's face. Harold however did not realize the change in Kawashiro's expression.

Kochiya gave a sinister smile as she saw Kawashiro's embarrassed expression.

"Why?" Kochiya asked. "Can't do it in front of your-"

Kochiya was about to finish her sentence, but somehow Kawashiro threw her spoon at Kochiya's face.

The greenhead skillfully caught the spoon with her right hand.

"G-GEHH! I'LL HELP YOU, MY DEAR MERINGIAN FRIEND! I'm not like this wretched demon in a human flesh!" Kawashiro muttered. "She's hopeless and void of any kindness."

Kochiya's grin widened.

The man named Harold gave a surprised reaction.

"Eh?" the man muttered. "YOU are going to help her, Nitori? YOU?"

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Kawashiro mumbled. "I'm not doing this because of you or anything!"

"…"

Harold was lost for words. He didn't exactly fathom the reason behind Kawashiro's overprotectiveness nor did he wanted to enrage the 'midget'.

"Are you for real?"

As for the Meringian, she looked at Kawashiro with a look of gratefulness.

"May you be blessed, little one!"

 **Part 3**

Out of the four humans sitting together in the table, the man named Harold revealed the most shocked expression.

"That's pretty kind, unlike the Kawashiro Nitori I know," said Harold. "Who knows that there's another side to yourself besides that rebellious teenage mode I knew."

Upon hearing the man's statement, Kawashiro Nitori somehow felt happy. The bluehead felt like a student that has just been praised by a teacher for doing good.

"W-Well…I'm always a good person. Don't judge me from your already twisted perspective of me…."

Somehow, Kawashiro's speaking tone became slower as she finished her sentence. It sounded rather cute.

At the same time, the bluehead gave a glare at the woman responsible for the emotional mess she was suffering: Kochiya Sanae.

The greenhead merely revealed a hidden grin as she looked at Kawashiro Nitori.

Her face was filled with malice, but only Kawashiro Nitori knew the greenhead well enough to decipher the true meaning behind Kochiya's expression.

"Shut up, damned wicked woman! Just shut up and die already!"

Kawashiro angrily looked away and, underneath the table, Kochiya's foot was repeatedly stomped.

It seemed there could have been only one culprit.

"Ah? What…"

Shirayuki, who was not involved in the silly quarrel between Kawashiro and Kochiya seemed to notice something.

Kochiya was worried in case the shop attendants (that were robots) would chase them out for their riotousness.

At that moment, _Eh…the Meringian?_

The Meringian was nowhere to be found.

As he felt that something was amiss, Kochiya saw something.

She realized that there were ten Meringians looking at her table from outside the restaurant.

All of them were wearing a large, white clothing that exposed their arms.

"…"

Kochiya somehow remembered the events from last time.

The images of Executioner Kohor and Duruk came into the woman's mind.

Her guard rose while Kawashiro was still distracted with Harold.

 _Why didn't we notice?_ Kochiya wondered.

(Was that a reconnaissance group that was trying to find a loophole that they could use to execute Shirayuki?)

She recalled that Kotohime gave the guarantee that the Meringian operatives would retreat and halt the hunt on the lunarian. But, there was no guarantee that the Meringian Cathedral might not use other subtle methods to execute its 'enemies'.

For instance, assassination.

Not by brute force, but by trickery or distant spells or curses.

The Meringian Cathedral may have learned about Kochiya's ability that could nullify the supernatural such as magic.

When one considered that option, using curses no longer became a viable option. Even if the Meringians somehow casted voodoo on Shirayuki, Kochiya's right hand would break the connection between the target and the spellcaster.

(What the hell is going on now? Are we being targeted by assassins?)

The Meringians that stood outside the restaurant while looking at Kochiya's table turned their attention away.

Kochiya thought the aliens were going to attack them. However, the aliens simply walked away from the restaurant without causing any havoc.

But, there was something that caught Kochiya's attention about them.

Their facial expressions lacked emotions completely.

Due to the unnatural behavior of the Meringians, they contrasted from their surroundings.

 _Emotionless expressions…?_

Kochiya recalled something.

It was typical for people in a secret mission to at least fake their emotions whenever they interact with other intelligent beings but at a personal scale, agents were usually professionals that would suppress emotions from getting in their jobs.

…The anonymous Meringian…

"Eh?" Kawashiro muttered. "She's gone?"

The bluehead didn't even manage to ask her about some details that she felt she had to know, but the alien was gone.

"That's very quick of her," said Harold.

He spoke as he silently stood and looked around.

There was no trace of the Meringian that was just being grateful to Kawashiro a minute ago.

It was as if the woman never truly existed before them.

Even the chef that was scolding the Meringian seemed to ignore the fact that she disappeared so quickly.

Essentially, her existence has been perfectly concealed like how assassins and agents would conceal themselves.

 **Part 4**

Siptimbar 12th, 5:25 PM.

Kochiya Sanae, Kawashiro Nitori, Shirayuki and the odd Harold that stood out.

The four humans have been sightseeing around the city of Xhala for a while now.

For Kochiya, Kawashiro and Harold they were just chilling around during the weekend since it was a public holiday. But to Shirayuki, the three Tyradorians were behaving like tour guides to her, showing her around the city and some historical landmarks in the city.

The lunarian was surprised by some of the landmarks that have been standing even before some of the ancient worlds such as the Netherworld existed.

One of such landmarks, the Breundernberng Gettern (that was also called the Breundernberg Fotten) was right in front of Shirayuki.

The six hundred-meter gate that resembled the central portion of propylaea built by ancient Greeks surprised the lunarian. Under the giant gate, there were many humans and aliens taking pictures of themselves. They were mostly tourists from other planets.

To Shirayuki, that was not the main issue.

This was the real issue in her mind: who would have expected to see ancient Earth-like structures to exist in this world?

Being the elder civilization, it was useless to spark a Newton-Leibniz like-debate on the matter of the large gate that seemed like a portal. It was no doubt that the Tyradorians constructed this structure long before the emergence of the Greek civilization.

Therefore, did the Greeks somehow retrieved an ancient Tyradorian monument and replicated them in masses?

Harold, who noticed the odd behavior of the lunarian spoke.

"Oh? You look rather surprised."

The lunarian looked at the man who could somehow gauge her mind.

"Well, it is understandable for you to react that way. I'm a Tyradorian and even I don't really understand that large monument myself."

"Eh? What does that mean?" the lunarian asked.

"Umm…you don't have to act like a Tyradorian, idiot. I can easily figure out that you're not a Tyradorian by the way you speak and act. It's totally unlike a Tyradorian. With that hearing aid device attached to your ear, it gives a clear indication that you're not from this world."

Kochiya and Kawashiro simply giggled while Shirayuki looked at the man.

"So, it seems that I was clearly busted from the beginning?" asked Shirayuki.

"Kind of," the man replied.

If so, then the man was even weirder. How did the man understand her in the first place?

Harold, being someone who loves meeting with new people spoke.

"Anyway, the Gettern was built at the time of the infamous Diktatur Uttu bern Welshmuck. It was a symbol of Tyradorian victory and peace as it was constructed after the Meringians asked for a peace treaty when Tyradorian troops were just a few thousand kilometers away from Mering."

Shirayuki, who knew nothing about Tyradorian history nodded like a clueless student hearing a lecture in a class. But the attentive lunarian immediately asked a question.

"Wait…why are Tyradorian troops stationed a few kilometers away from Mering?" the lunarian asked.

This time, Kochiya answered the question.

"It was due to the Meringian-Tyradorian War that happened a few thousand years after the establishment of humanity in this Sector. At that time, the Meringian Cathedral has just secured its power after the Meringian Civil War caused by various Meringian religions trying to prevent the Meringian Pope from assuming political power in the Meringian worlds."

Shirayuki immediately understood the hidden meaning behind Kochiya's explanation.

"In other words, the Cathedral was afraid that humanity would take advantage of the worn-out state and the political unrest of the Meringian worlds to invade Mering and her colonies?"

"Sort of. The Meringian Cathedral has just finished the eradication of all religions other than the worship of Deoh in her colonies after the Civil War. And it seems that the Cathedral is still hostile to other religions," Kochiya explained.

With that said, Kochiya remembered the incident that happened a month ago.

Even after millions of years, the Meringian Cathedral was still fearful of another religion.

(This reminded me of Islam) the lunarian thought again.

After the death of Muhammad in 632 A.D, the first Caliph Abu Bakr launched a series of campaigns intended to defeat apostates and false prophets that claimed to be successors of the deceased prophet.

After emerging victorious in the overall civil war that subjugated the whole Arabian world to the religion of Islam, the Caliph turned his attention to Byzantine and Persia and launched campaigns to annex the two empires that were so close to the Islamic world in fear that the two empires would annex Arabia.

Harold, who was not involved in last month's incident spoke.

"Anyway, they started the offensive but we whooped them back. They invaded Zaar, a human planet with allegiance to the Confederation and even managed to send 20,000 soldiers to start a ruckus in Tyrador, but we repelled their attacks, neutralized them and penetrated deep into their worlds. Since most of their worlds were war-torn due to the civil war, their defenses were weak."

As the man spoke, the four humans found themselves walking under the large gate.

There was one name written on the wall beside Shirayuki: Ourileenum.

The curious lunarian touched the wall with the name carved on it.

It seemed to be an ancient psychic carving that could shoot psychic energy meant to convey information to those who touched the names. It allowed visitors to 'experience' history as they could see everything from within their souls and minds.

Shirayuki stood straight as psychic energy flew into her soul.

The lunarian then saw a vision.

She saw Ourileenum in her mind.

It was a planet located seven thousand kilometres away from Mering and was the closest planet to Mering.

She saw the struggle between humanity and Meringians as humans attempted to seize the planet to secure the shortest route to Mering and possibly end the war, while the Meringians loyal to the Cathedral saw this as the battle to defend the Cathedral from atheism.

In comparison to her previous experiences, even the Lunar-Gensou war could be said as a joke compared to the monstrosity of this ancient war.

After the annexation of Ourileenum by the Tyradorians, the Meringian Cathedral called for a ceasefire and a surrender. The Meringian Papal, who had mobilized all the Cathedral's remaining forces after the Civil War to invade Tyrador and force humanity to submit before his religion, found his precious capital world open to human annexation.

The magicians of the Meringian Cathedral were killed during the Civil War and the Meringian military who were mostly non-magicians were shocked by the Tyradorians' advanced scientific weaponry that were far ahead of them and the psychic abilities of the Tyradorians that were no different from magic.

That gave the Tyradorian military logistical and tactical advantages over the invading forces who were inexperienced in a large-scale scientific war.

Since many Meringians were still bitter about the Cathedral's oppression and execution of other Meringians due to religion, not many of them were willing to fight in the name of Deoh, a deity shoved to their heads by the means of the sword.

As the Meringian Papal, the so-called Vice-Ruler and viceroy of Deoh took those facts into consideration, he realized that resisting the Tyradorians were futile. He called for a ceasefire, an unconditional surrender and peace.

At the end, Mering was declared an open city and Tyradorian soldiers marched on the planet before leaving the Meringian worlds. Since the Tyradorians were never interested in occupying worlds with other species inhabiting the planets and weren't planning to expand its influence beyond human worlds, the human soldiers never remained in the occupied Meringian worlds that fell into the hands of the Tyradorian military.

That allowed the Papal to sign a peace treaty with the Diktatur, the first Chancellor and President of Tyrador Uttu bern Welshmuck at this site.

The lunarian removed her hand afterwards.

"…This is undoubtedly a historical site."

However, the events of the past were nothing more than history. Even back then, the Meringian Cathedral did launch an attack on the surface of Tyrador and it was a long struggle for humans to repel the Meringians through several difficult decisive battles that somehow weakened both sides.

For that reason, the Confederation dared not to annex Meringian worlds and at that time, the Meringian Cathedral was at its lowest point.

The Meringian Cathedral of today has already replenished its strength, rebuilt its military and became a hegemony by spreading the religion of Deoh, building alliances and annexing other planets to be part of the Meringian Empire. It would be foolhardy for the Confederation to attempt an invasion on Meringian colonies.

Not to mention that the Cathedral has magicians that Tyradorians were clueless about.

Kochiya and Harold nodded as they agreed with the conclusion that the Meringian Cathedral was not a power to mess around with. The bluehead however gave a bored face and yawned.

"History…the only subject that makes me sleepy," Kawashiro mumbled. "It's boring, factual yet filled with lots of ifs and buts."

"That's why you never learn from past mistakes, you idiot!" Harold replied. "History is a guideline for people to learn from past mistakes and improve past achievements."

Kawashiro merely smirked at the man.

"Only idiots linger in history and never move on," Kawashiro stressed. Engineering is all about moving on and not be satisfied with the past, nor to dwell in it. It's more dynamic and complex, yet there's a slice of simplicity behind the technicalities behind it."

Kochiya sighed. After all, Harold and Kawashiro has always argued about the smallest thing for the past hundred years. Ironically, they were the best pair whenever they worked together.

Perhaps it was just because both the man and the bluehead loved to express their thoughts and feelings indirectly out of fear that one of them would reject the other. Or perhaps it was a cold battle to test whether one of them would surrender before the other's ego.

After all, love has always been a complicated subject, even more than history, science and engineering.

 **Part 5**

Ten Meringians; all of them being Executioners of the Meringian Cathedral surrounded a single female Meringian.

The Executioners were wearing similar yellow glowing clothing covering their bodies except their arms and their calves. At their clothes, there was a giant circle that could be observed at the center of the clothing above the stomach. The circle was the symbol of Deoh and the Cathedral.

The female Meringian, being the person that has her meal paid by Kawashiro Nitori touched her recently scarred left eye.

The culprit that has scratched her eyes were standing in front of her.

"Stop this meaningless escape and repent, Naraza," one of the Executioners muttered. "Don't think that you can escape the clutches of the Cathedral."

But the courageous Meringian refused.

"Do you really think that I'd put myself down and let that man continue to run our world like an idiot? You have been deceived by that man to maintain this stupid bureaucracy called the Meringian Cathedral."

The female Meringian right now could be said to be in a state in which a simple opening was of the utmost importance.

The female Meringian, who was facing her potential death, had reasoned that it was outright impossible to escape the pursuers without using some tricks and receiving assistance from anyone else. Then, why did she decide to come here, in the world of science to escape the gigantic enemy that she declared by herself?

Yes, the enemy that she created by herself.

The Meringian Cathedral, the world superpower that not even the Confederation of Tyrador would risk going to war against. The institution that was responsible to control all of Magic just like how the Confederation controlled Science.

The female Meringian bravely took on one of the two superpowers of the universe when she declared loudly that Deoh was not worthy of worship and the Papal was nothing more than a fraudulent person who was crazy for absolute power.

"Idiots," the woman muttered calmly. "How can you not see pass the deception of that bastard old man that has lived past his prime when the Tyradorians marched on the soil of Mering?"

"Insulting the Papal is the same as insulting Deoh! It was proven to be a great strategy as our world was spared from annihilation by the wicked Science side thanks to traitors like you who chose to worship something other than Deoh!" one of the Executioners shouted.

Sigh, the female Meringian thought.

There could never be communication between herself and the Executioners who were stained in their thoughts that the religion of Deoh was supreme.

She then remembered that green-haired woman that she encountered when she approached her. The human made a circle as the Meringian named Naraza attempted to approach her.

To be honest, she almost laughed when she saw Kochiya attempting to invoke the symbol of Deoh.

With that said, she was compelled to that table because of someone else. She could detect magical energy that was different from those emitted by the worshippers of Deoh.

In other words, she knew that there was a magician among the four humans and the magician was not following the way of Deoh.

The fact that the magician has not been killed by Executioners intrigued her. What was special about the magician made the Cathedral gave up on killing her?

Unfortunately, she was forced to take her leave as she noticed the Meringians looking at her. She could not afford to stay at a place for too long.

With that in her mind, the female Meringian then waved her hand like a puppeteer that was manipulating her puppets from a distance.

The Executioners, being expert magicians, retreated backwards impulsively.

The female magician simply moved her fingers flexibly as if she was conducting an orchestra.

It was an unknown form of attack, but there were thin laser-like beams that were moving rather flexibly and moved right above the Executioners.

The Executioners were equipped with a defensive spell on their bodies, but they still bled colorless liquid on their skins.

"In the name of Deoh-!"

The female Meringian who rejected Deoh twitched her lips.

"Hear me, Ritis. Your humble servant asks for your mercy to give her authority over the wind!"

A large mass of air formed up in the size of a beach ball in front of her, but it was transparent and colorless, so the naked eye couldn't see it.

Naraza jumped up on both legs and landed on the mass of air.

Chi! Her legs effortlessly crushed the mass of air, flattening it.

BAM! With the loud sound of the air expanding, Naraza's body jumped up with shocking momentum.

Her body flew up vertically, scaling twenty meters above the trained hunters from the Meringian Cathedral.

"How dare you ask for help from a fake deity! In the name of Deoh, I command the vile demon Ritis to let go of the magician!"

"A flight interception spell?" Naraza spoke.

The female magician gave a smile that was meant as a praise.

As the ten Meringians saw the woman's unreasonable smile, they immediately began chanting the name of Deoh simultaneously.

"I see, I see. That can make it as well. However, I never intended to fly in the first place,"

The female magician clearly expressed herself before the attacking magicians. There was no sign of fear from the woman who was clearly outnumbered and in a disadvantage.

"In fact, I have never intended to kill any of you. Unlike that old geezer and corrupt man, my god doesn't allow me to kill anyone unless it is proven to be impossible to survive without killing someone else in defense."

"!"

The Meringians, who were enraged by the woman's declaration launched their attack while Naraza's body was still falling due to the pull of gravity.

A large energy blast that was casted from the group of ten Meringians went right towards its target in a linear fashion.

(Don't underestimate me, you failures.)

Facing the group of ten arrogant Meringians who were concentrated on their efforts to kill her, the female Meringian gracefully moved her fingers once again.

A glowing rectangle manifested itself from beneath the female Meringian.

The powerful blast of energy directly hit the rectangle. At first, the rectangle seemed fragile enough that it would break anytime due to the powerful magical impact from the blast of energy.

But Naraza was not a fool nor was she incompetent in the field of magic.

If she was, she wouldn't be fighting ten Meringian Executioners in an alien world while escaping the Cathedral's reach.

The rectangle glowed even further as it absorbed the blast of energy, and the Meringian was propelled away like a cannon being shot forward at a speed of Mach 10. She was already above the ground, thus the rectangle channeled energy from the blast to propel her forward and caused her to 'fly' despite a flight interception spell in place.

"She got away!" the Executioners shouted. "Get here! She must be killed!

* * *

 **Hi guys! Quite free now since my team has just finished an acquisition deal now (feels like a huge burden has been lifted from my shoulders after weeks of financial modelling and checking the given accounting information for errors). I enjoy M &A work, but it's quite a headache to me. I don't know, finance is more than just M&A though. Anyway, the stock market is doing rather well (Dow 22K) despite the political instability due to strong earnings so I've earned quite a lot. But I do not expect the momentum to remain that well with everything happening. The sudden rise of stock prices can bring fear and loss of confidence among investors in the financial system, thus creating the youkai called the financial crisis. This youkai consumes the economy rather than eating humans directly and it is fueled by both greed and fear. Seems like a stubborn youkai that won't go to Gensokyou any time soon and I hardly feel that Reimu could exterminate it either, but I have already prepared in case this youkai attacks our world en masse again like in 2008.  
**

 **Ok, ignore my ranting about the numbers and finance. I really hope that you guys enjoy this story. I'm pretty sure that some of you could decipher the symbolism behind the Meringian-Tyradorian war (*smirk). Anyway, thanks for reading this!**


	8. Chapter 7: The Priestess

**Chapter 7: The Priestess that Answers to the Wind: HERETIC**

 **Part 1**

Siptimbar 12, 6:30 P.M

"Time sure flies quickly…" mumbled Kochiya.

After spending some time at the Breundernberng Gettern, the four people went around and visited other landmarks in the capital of the most advanced planet in the world.

Now, all four of them had completely forgotten about everything that happened earlier. They were just wandering around like teenagers that were trying to kill time at night in big cities.

On the road in front of the department store station, Kochiya stared at Kawashiro and Harold that were walking side by side.

Kochiya smiled. Oddly, even Kochiya herself did not realize that.

Standing beside her, Shirayuki was still looking around and enjoying the weekend night life in the universe's most advanced metropolis.

The two women could clearly hear the silly argument between the unofficial lovebirds walking in front of them.

"You idiot!" the man shouted. "Why would I actually buy you anything when your net income alone can afford you a palace?!"

"Shut up, you bastard!" Kawashiro Nitori retorted. "Someone as dense as you can never understand a woman's feelings! That's why you will never get yourself a girlfriend! Idiot!"

The bluehead then threw her tantrums like a child.

"As if I'll understand anything from hanging around with you! What would a kid like you understand about woman?!" the man replied.

"A KID?!" Kawashiro retorted. She was fine with many nicknames, but being called a kid somehow enraged her. "Hah! I may be older than you, zombie!"

Kawashiro proudly gave out a 'Hmph!' as she finished her sentence.

"If you're really older than me, I might just kill myself. No, I'll marry you since nothing could be worse than being your husband!"

The man then turned his face away from Kawashiro and hid his embarrassment.

Kawashiro moved away from the man.

The bluehead was literally stunned by the man's suggestion that she was unable to react.

"Don't you even suggest that bullshit!" Kawashiro shrieked. Like that man, her face turned slightly red. "To hell with that! Being your wife is worse than going to the Matrix! I'd rather be tortured for eternity if given a choice between eternal torture and sharing the same bed with you!"

Kawashiro folded her arms and glared at her love/enemy. While her mouth was clearly suggesting that she would never even think about sharing a room with the man, her cheeks turned bright red and her mind was imagining herself sleeping with the man.

She shook her head vigorously at the idea that she felt 'humiliating'. How could she even consider that as an option?

Her mouth shouted: _Impossible! Not this bastard! NOOO!_

To make the situation worse, Kawashiro crossed her arms on her chest and hugged her body tightly.

"What the hell are you thinking about, idiot girl?!" Harold screamed.

He somehow felt creepy as he heard Kawashiro's scream.

The human named Harold might have obtained telepathy as he could read Kawashiro's mind just by seeing the woman's facial reaction and body language.

"NOTHING!" Kawashiro replied. The bluehead struggled to keep her embarrassment to herself.

Nothing was more complicated than this relationship.

"Besides, I'd be better off asking Sanae in hand for marriage! She's more normal than you!"

Shirayuki looked at the greenhead while Kochiya merely giggled.

The greenhead understood that it was a situation that would never happen.

Not that the greenhead had any love interest with the man she saw as an older brother anyway.

More importantly, Kochiya was used to Harold saying that he'd rather marry her than Kawashiro. It was just an overused ruse by the man to defend himself against Kawashiro in a quarrel.

"HAH! This closet otaku? She's even way more abnormal than me! But again, only birds of the same feather flock together!" Kawashiro replied arrogantly.

Static electricity flew throughout Kochiya as she heard Kawashiro's casual remark.

(EH? Did this bluehead just insulted me when I am standing right behind her?) Kochiya thought.

Obviously, the greenhead felt an intense pain in her heart after hearing Kawashiro's comment about her.

Harold however, did not wait. He continued with his counter-attack.

"Ah…so, are you saying that you're a weirdo, closet otaku, and a lunatic freak? Since only birds of the same feather flock together…After all, both of you have been together even before Jade and I met you guys back then!"

Naturally, Kawashiro felt repulsed to be called as a weirdo.

There was no need to mention why.

"That-That's not it! Shut up, perverted freak! If you're going to bring that day as a subject, then I'll bring up your despicable past as well, damned former delinquent-wannabe!"

The man excitedly encouraged Kawashiro to do so.

At that time, the man and the bluehead had continued to argue intensely in nonsense topics like the ones shown in comedies and joke-oriented movies. They continued to exchange insults and glares at each other.

"What's the matter, Shirayuki?"

Kochiya noticed Shirayuki's odd expression and giggled.

"Umm, you know…" the lunarian whispered, "Are they always acting like this?"

Shirayuki's voice was so soft that it was next to impossible for Kochiya to listen without asking the former to speak louder.

Kochiya simply gave an awkward smile at that innocent question.

The greenhead's lips were frozen as she was unable to find a sentence that could describe the situation without turning herself to become a common enemy for Kawashiro Nitori and Harold.

Kochiya herself might not realize, but Shirayuki somehow had a premonition that she shouldn't press deeper.

It was too late, though.

Kawashiro Nitori and Harold turned and gave hostile glares at Shirayuki.

Facing the couple that was filled with malice, Shirayuki involuntarily stepped back and somewhat trembled.

"Wait, wait, wait! I did not even open my mouth!"

"Shut up…old alien hag," Kawashiro muttered.

The blue eyes of Kawashiro Nitori filled with the stare of someone with malice made the lunarian shiver.

"Nitori…" the man spoke. "Is this hag of yours really that much of a loudmouth?"

Like the bluehead, the man exhibited a dark smile that coated his true emotions.

"EIKKK! Sanae, help me!"

(Why are those two idiots thinking that I did something terrible… Uwaa! They're actually thinking of slaughtering me into pieces of thin meat, aren't they?!)

The lunarian did not even consider anything besides her own life and pulled Kochiya's arm.

"Eh?" muttered the clueless greenhead.

But it was too late.

Within an instant, the lunarian pushed Kochiya's body forward as a shield to protect herself from Nitori's physical attack.

 **Part 2**

It was a declaration of war between three women.

As Neutral Kochiya Sanae has been attacked by Mad Engineer Kawashiro Nitori after being pushed by the Old Hag Shirayuki, the greenhead glared at her enemies and cracked her fist.

"Dammit Nitori! Why the hell did you tackle me to the ground?!"

However, Kawashiro did not answer Kochiya's question directly.

Instead, the bluehead glared at her 'source' of irritation, Old Hag Shirayuki.

"I-It was an act of self-defense!" Shirayuki exclaimed. "I d-didn't mean to…"

"If there's anyone to blame…it's this alien!" Kawashiro mumbled.

Facing a monster that was superior to herself in terms of physical strength, Shirayuki could only opt to run away.

She could not cling to Kochiya any longer since the greenhead was glaring at her as well.

But…she couldn't escape.

It wasn't that she didn't want to, but she couldn't even if she attempted to do so.

Along with the intense struggle of Shirayuki as she tried to remove her right arm from Kawashiro's tight grip, Kawashiro gave a crude smile of a delinquent finding a victim that she could pick on.

"A-AH!"

And the brawl of the century happened.

Yakumo Yukari might be pleased with the scene as one of her former enemies were pleading for mercy before a former youkai. But she was not in Tyrador to witness the scene with her own naked eyes, nor could her ability reach and affect the distant world that she herself had no knowledge of.

 **Part 3**

After ten minutes of a brawl worthy of something from an epic anime or Hollywood movie scene at its climax, both Harold and Kochiya were forced to step in and pulled the two contenders away from each other.

Despite Kawashiro's advantage with her superior strength, Shirayuki was not a pushover.

The lunarian's resilience to defend herself and inflict damage at the bluehead was praiseworthy despite her failure to do so.

"Let me go!" Kawashiro screamed. She moved her limbs as she struggled to escape the clutches of the man named Harold. "Don't stop me!"

At the same time, the bruised lunarian glared at her frienenemy with a grin and several scratches on her face.

"Wanna try me?!" Shirayuki shouted. "Bring it on! I'm not afraid of you, kappa-like human!"

Kochiya, who was restraining Shirayuki looked at the lunarian with amazement.

"What's a kappa?" Kochiya asked. "An alien species back in your home world?"

Kochiya could not help but to be curious about the term.

However, the real kappa turned human who was totally clueless about the significance of the word 'kappa' continued to verbally assault the lunarian.

"Hah! Tough talk for a walkover! Let's see how you'd fare if I gave you to the Meringian Cathedral as a token of apology and an offering to Deoh."

The lunarian involuntarily shivered. Shirayuki saw flashbacks of herself escaping the hunters of the Meringian Cathedral and involuntarily stepped back.

"S-Shut up, idiot! Don't talk about the Meringian Cathedral in front of me!" Shirayuki retorted.

"Why?" Kawashiro asked with a malicious intent. "Are you afraid of Deoh? Do you want to repent for your sins now?"

"Stop it, both of you!" Harold interfered and sighed. "Can't you guys just act normally? It's just a stupid brawl, after all."

Kawashiro glared at the man like a tiger glaring at its prey and escaped the clutches of the man after moving her hands several times.

The man remained stern as he saw Nitori's expression. Despite the woman's intimidating look, Harold wore a stubborn look on his face.

He was not going to give in to the woman so easily. If he did, his own ego would be scratched.

"You don't just look like a kid. You are really a kid, aren't you?" the man spoke.

"! DID YOU JUST CALL ME A KID?!"

Kawashiro was left dumbfounded as she heard the man calling her behavior a kid.

Kochiya could only sigh.

"If only she wasn't as hot-blooded," the greenhead muttered.

Kochiya finally let go of Shirayuki, and held her head in despair.

Following Kochiya's sound of despair was laughter.

Yet, none of them were prepared for the incoming attack.

 **Part 4**

Siptimbar 12, 7:10 p.m.

"I finally found you, little one!"

A coarse, non-human voice from beside made Kawashiro and the other people halted their intense emotional battles right before the climax.

Kawashiro's face clearly showed signs of displeasure as she was interrupted.

Since none of them has expected to be interrupted by a third party, the expressions in their faces clearly showed discontent and disdain for the voice.

Thus, all of them were furiously thinking, (Goddammit, is there a galactic idol loitering around here?! Either way, it has nothing to do with us, bastard!)

But after thinking about it, today was a normal weekend, and there was no sign of any idol's presence lurking in the place …

"?"

Just as Kawashiro tilted her head in uncertainty...

"I have been looking for you, little one! Oh my, I finally managed to find you after wandering around for so long!"

Kawashiro's back, around the level of her shoulders, was slammed by a Meringian charging at full speed.

After a loud boom, the short, blue haired woman and the Meringian both went rolling along the footpath.

"D-dammit, who the hell did this to me… eh?" Kawashiro paused. "Wait…aren't you the one that I paid the meal for earlier?"

"Oh! You actually remembered me, little one?" the Meringian spoke enthusiastically.

The alien then grabbed Kawashiro's palms.

The Meringian's blunt reply made Kawashiro's eyes spread wide open, and she muttered something like "Huh?".

On the other hand, Kochiya Sanae and Shirayuki's reply was…

"What the heck is going on here? N-Nitori got hugged by a weird Meringian! Could this be…another victim that fell into the 'innocent face' trap of Kawashiro Nitori?!"

Harold only gave a twisted smile.

"After securing the heart of an immortal, there's another legend waiting to be made by Kawashiro Nitori!?" protested Kochiya. "Damn you, sleek woman!"

"Oi, Sanae…what did you mean by securing the heart of an immortal anyway?!" asked the man.

Kochiya Sanae's comment made Kawashiro Nitori shake in anger. But she didn't reply; her actions were completely different from her usual demeanor. In fact, if Kochiya said the exact same words earlier she might have been a target by Kawashiro as well.

The fact that Kawashiro did not react meant that something weird truly happened.

"Ah, uh… what is the meaning of this? What's going on?"

"…(E-Eh? Oh yes…Wait, wait! Hold on for a second, I'll explain everything now. They are not here so I should be able to express myself freely. But first, allow me to apologize for my seemingly rude attitude. Is that fine with you?)"

The Meringian named Naraza stared somewhere and tightened her grip towards Kawashiro.

A puzzled Kawashiro and the rest of the team followed her line of sight. There was no sign of anyone or anything within Kawashiro's field of vision. She didn't know how to react to Naraza's sudden and mysterious act, and had frozen.

"Get away from me already!" said Kawashiro; she seemed to behave like a ticking bomb on the outside, but her heart was pounding furiously.

After inhaling a deep breath, the Meringian replied, "Ahaha, I have been searching around for some time now! I wanted to repay you for your help earlier this afternoon, but I had to rush. Had some businesses to handle at that time."

"-Haaa…What did you say?"

"As I said earlier, little one! I wanted to repay you for your kindness!"

Naraza was speaking loudly and she could be heard by everyone. Kawashiro Nitori, was speechless. For Kochiya Sanae, Shirayuki and Harold, it was as if Sakuya has just frozen time. And the cool-type man did not think too much and shifted his gaze away.

Somehow, Kawashiro Nitori realized that she was in the oddest situation possible.

It felt as if she was indulging in a sinful pleasure in secret and the secret was being cruelly exposed by everyone in the universe.

"Ah…"

In such a situation, what could Kawashiro possibly do?

As Naraza saw Kawashiro's perplexed expression, her own smile froze.

(I overdid it again…) thought the Meringian. The alien had not wanted to cause discomfort to the Tyradorian, but she overexerted herself.

The woman with light blue twin ponytails, Kawashiro Nitori, was still in a state of shock, her mouth opening and closing but with nothing coming out.

After a while, the short woman regained her mental composure and did what she would have immediately done in a normal situation – to push the alien away from her body.

The physically fragile Meringian was easily repelled when Kawashiro actually pushed the alien away from her body. Naraza wiped her body as Kawashiro regained her posture.

The already short woman stood and glared at the alien.

Naraza did not need to listen to the woman. The alien was already capable of predicting the bluehead's mind just from staring at the woman's furious glare.

"You better explain everything that is going on right now! I demand it! Or else, you won't get away safely. I can assure you that much of a threat!"

"Ah… ahaha!" Naraza's face was scarily contorted. "Ahahahaha! Uhuhuhuhu!"

(How can such a cute-looking woman be so ferocious?)

Naraza let out a strangled laughter, grabbed Kawashiro's hand, muttered something unintelligible to the crowd and left the scene at a speed that was literally equal to that of flight.

Kawashiro, who had no idea what was going on, was dragged further and further away.

Kochiya and the others, who were still lost with the development of the events remained frozen at their places.

"What the heck was that?" Harold asked. "Aren't Meringians supposed to be frail? How did a Meringian run that fast?"

Kochiya merely nodded. But the greenhead then realized something.

"Hold on," the greenhead replied. "What did you say, Harold?"

The man merely looked at Kochiya with a stupid gaze.

"I said that Meringians are physically weak aliens. How can a Meringian run that fast?"

When someone thought about it, Harold's words were true.

Running quickly was something that required a level of stamina and physical strength. For Meringians who were even weaker than Patchouli, running at such a speed would be impossible.

Well, at least that was something that could be inferred scientifically.

But, the Meringian was running at such a speed that was beyond its species' ordinary ability.

Scientifically, it was impossible.

But, if a certain technique other than scientific methods developed in the Confederation of Tyrador was utilized, it was not impossible for aliens to achieve such results and break something thought to be common sense.

(This is bad…why didn't I realize it earlier?) Kochiya thought.

If that alien was truly involved with the other side of the world, then…

Flashes of images came into Kochiya's mind. Especially, the ten Meringians that she saw outside the restaurant earlier.

There was only one thing that came into Kochiya's mind after that.

The Meringian Cathedral.

Just a month ago, it dispatched an assassination unit meant to kill a certain magician that was labelled heretic due to her religious belief that differed from that taught by the Cathedral, the religion of Deoh.

There was a large probability that the Meringian was related with the Cathedral.

If that was the case, then…

"Fuck those aliens!" Kochiya muttered. Furiously. "Those Cathedral bastards are still stuck with that fucked-up idea?"

(Are they trying to trick Nitori and beat her up with overwhelming numbers since she beat up one of their agents before?)

Harold tried to communicate with the greenhead that was obviously furious, but he couldn't even mutter a word.

"Shirayuki, can you stay with this guy for a while? I'm going to follow after Nitori."

"Huh?" Harold spoke, but Kochiya wouldn't allow the man to speak any further.

"Please," the greenhead pleaded. "I have something important right now, so will you help me?"

The man knew. Despite it being a request, it wasn't really an option.

It was just something forced to him.

Knowing the greenhead, the man nodded.

Without even wasting any time, the greenhead used her leg and ran towards Kawashiro.

"What mess did you get yourself into this time, Kochiya Sanae?"

 **Part 5**

Once the Meringian thought that it was a safe place, she let go of Kawashiro Nitori.

It was already night; thus, the surrounding was dark. Kawashiro was certain that she was brought to an alley where people wouldn't see them.

"What the heck are you doing?" asked Kawashiro.

In response, the alien gave a smile.

Even so, Kawashiro felt an urge to run away from the alien.

"Little one…you can be honest with me. It is general fact that Tyradorians are forced to believe in atheism, but I do know that at least one of you is religious."

Kawashiro raised her guard, yet maintained her external appearance.

Unlike Kochiya, Kawashiro was calmer in such situations. She relied on her rational thinking rather than emotion, and stressed efficiency over natural response that would normally not work in emergency situations.

"What do you mean that we're forced to believe in atheism? We are proud atheists, we don't have to be forced to not believe in a fictional being."

Naraza looked at Kawashiro.

"Really? Does the government of this world not persecute humans who believe in God? I mean, that is certainly not true. It is written in your constitution that the official religion of Tyrador is atheism."

Misfortune reared its head again and Kawashiro sighed.

Nitori raised her foot as she thought of leaving the Meringian by herself. But, at the same instant, a voice came from behind him.

"I know that there is a human magician living among you, I can sense it when I approached your group." Kawashiro's foot, about to step into the alley, stopped.

The term 'magician' was a taboo to herself and Kochiya. Just thinking about an incident that went by a month ago gave Kawashiro enough of a headache.

"Who was it? Was it you, little one? I have to say that the magic hiding technique is splendid as no trace of magical energy could be detected, but…"

(Magic hiding technique? What is she talking about?)

Kawashiro Nitori, who was an engineering graduate with a high aptitude for machinery and scientific applications in developing breakthrough devices barely understood whatever the alien spoke.

"Oh? The look on your face is very interesting. You must be an expert in hiding your emotions. You could have been an actress or a prosecutor. Although I do hear that Tyradorian prosecutors are troublesome to deal with…"

Again, Kawashiro understood nothing.

"There are many spells that could be used to hide traces of magic, but your skill is at a totally different level. I can't even sense any magic from you!"

(Is she thinking that I am the magician?)

Despite the unwillingness of Kawashiro Nitori to be in trouble, she could not help but to pity the alien since it mistook her for a real magician like Shirayuki.

"You see…there have been rumors going on back in the Cathedral about a magician escaping its executioners."

"Rumors?" Kawashiro inquired further.

To Kawashiro Nitori, hearing something like "there is a rumor about you" caused her to be interested even if she didn't want to be involved in anything.

Since she was personally involved in one of the incidents, she couldn't help but to be curious.

"Hooo…so you're curious to know about the rumor, aren't you?" Naraza asked. Kawashiro was considering the option of forcing the woman to speak quickly, but she thought that it might exhibit her inner desires as an exploit to the Meringian.

Having said that, Kawashiro Nitori was left with no option. Her curiosity got the better of herself, and she slowly nodded to Naraza's question. With that much curiosity, she stared at the alien that stood in front of her.

"Is that so?" Seeing the reaction of Kawashiro Nitori, Naraza had no impressions.

"In other words, you aren't denying the fact that you're the famed magician that escaped the execution by the Cathedral's agents?"

Naraza scanned Kawashiro's body with her eyes.

Kawashiro's physical appearance was more of a human child, or an early teenager than an adult woman but for a woman at the height of 1.6 meters, the term adult could have been a farce.

Nitori wore a plain light blue T-shirt just like other Tyradorians and, unlike herself, she lacked the aura that a magician would emit. It was obvious since she wasn't a magician.

(Her level of disguise is way beyond anyone's level. For a magician to completely blend in the world of science…)

At the same time, Kawashiro gave a forced smile and denied the claim that she was a magician.

(Even when she's revealed, she still insists that she's not a magician?)

Naraza could not fathom Kawashiro's actions. Kawashiro's continuous denial of her involvement in the world of magic simply raised Naraza's suspicion about the bluehead's status. This fallen impression Nitori gave was like that of an undercover agent or even a revolutionary heretic.

How could such a thing exist? Naraza could not understand Kawashiro Nitori's existence.

"Humph. You're still going to deny everything in front of me? Being too suspicious, aren't you? Hm, that's fine too. I suppose the magician that actually found refuge in the realm of science would be suspicious about everything. I heard that a heretic psychic human with the ability to destroy supernatural abilities and miracles aided you." The Meringian magician spoke earnestly.

 _Is she talking about Sanae…_ Kawashiro thought, but she could not voice this.

Kawashiro Nitori understood that the incident might be recorded by the Cathedral, but she did not expect that stories and rumors about them would spread rampant.

"Rumors have it that the woman that could negate supernatural abilities and the other person, a psychic actually defeated an Archmage. In addition to that, the woman that negated the supernatural also defeated the other Executioner."

To be frank, hearing rumors about Kawashiro and Kochiya bothered the bluehead. She was somehow taken here by surprise and now the alien was talking about her.

In such a situation, no one would be rest assured.

"Ah, don't worry about them, I just talked about hearsays from the Cathedral. I am not here to harm any of them in the name of the Cathedral. At least, not directly."

Kawashiro Nitori was stunned.

"Not directly? What do you mean by not directly?"

"YOU BASTARD!"

The voice of a familiar human echoed in Kawashiro Nitori's ears. The voice belonged to someone she was truly familiar with. At the same time, the magician widened her smile as she saw the owner of the voice appearing behind Kawashiro Nitori.

 _...What's going on?_ Nitori could not voice her concerns.

"So, you came. The one said to wield the ability to kill God, is it you?"

Kawashiro turned back and saw a certain green haired woman.

The woman seemed to be controlling her erratic breath. Nevertheless, the greenhead's fists were tightly clenched, and her face was one of fury.

The situation was clearly abnormal. The ordinary life that Kawashiro led for the past hundred years was totally changed despite having settled the 'issue' with the Cathedral. The abnormality of the scientific world dominated by mathematical equations, psychic abilities and experiments have been interrupted with something foreign. The thing called magic had weaved Kawashiro's and Kochiya's everyday lives.

What kind of world have they gotten themselves into?

For the first time, the subconsciously arrogant Kawashiro Nitori feared herself.

"I am the Wind Priestess of the goddess Ritis. You humans wouldn't even understand this."

The self-proclaimed priestess seemed to see something in Kochiya's eyes and closed one eye and smiled. Kochiya was not in the mood to entertain the magician that was sinisterly smiling at her. She could only glare with an intense emotion of fury while suppressing the nebulous feeling.

As Kochiya glared, the female Meringian who called herself a priestess pulled out what appeared to be a 'wand' and spoke, "Don't give me that face. Are you ready to meet your demise?"

Naraza smirked like melting wax, the face extending sideways.

A chill. The knowledge that Kochiya still had told her that there was danger. Without time to think, she raised her right hand.

Quickly raising her right hand and extended it before her own self, as if she was giving a halt signal using her hand and, at the same instant, powerful gusts of wind were released from the magician's hand. As if she was swinging a large fan, the entire area was blown with a strong current of wind.

There was no delay. No hesitation, no mercy—the wind was aimed directly at the greenhead, in a linear motion heading towards Kochiya's right hand. The instant the wind and hand came in contact, the former exploded like an explosion caused by chemical reactions in the air.

The wind flew all over the region and released a terrifying sound as 700 kilometers per hour wind flew in all directions and invaded all nearby. With a boom, the wind did not completely stop. It brought destruction to the surrounding but, without a moment's notice, vanished as if there was nothing.

"Ha... hah..." Kochiya did not lower in a panic her right hand that protected her face. She continued to breathe heavily.

God Killer: the mysterious power hidden in Kochiya's right hand. No matter what the supernatural power, even the power of the omnipotent God, would vanish completely on contact.

"Hah... hah...!"

As Kochiya adjusted her position and tightened her fist in anticipation for battle, the priestess finally smiled.

"Hmm. Hmm. So, the rumors are true. There is an ability that can negate My miracles."

It was a deep, female voice speaking in the Meringian language. Yet, it was different from Naraza's voice that was energetic and youthful.

Kawashiro Nitori was the quickest to look around as she heard the voice.

But, there was nothing to be seen. Only Naraza and Kochiya could be seen.

(A cloaking technique?) Kawashiro thought.

The idea of an invisible enemy was truly frightening. While psychics have heightened sensitivity to the environment, fighting an invisible enemy was not an easy task.

The priestess' smile ruptured and melted.

Kochiya Sanae, on the other hand, could not respond. It was not that she feared the abnormal power within herself, neither did she fear the priestess called Naraza. If it were a question of fears, there was but one issue.

"Wha... are you—" Kochiya frantically took two, three steps because somehow, there was an instinct from Kochiya Sanae telling her that there was something else besides the Meringian magician.

"As expected. What can I expect from atheists?"

Neither Kochiya nor Kawashiro expected such reply, nor did they believe the sight before their eyes.

A slender figure taking a Meringian form materialized from thin air. Unlike typical Meringians, the being was colored in a mixture of gold and orange all over its body. Its figure and manner of speech gave it a feminine characteristic.

"MASTER?!" shouted Naraza. The wind priestess of Ritis seemed panicked.

But, the entity gave a composed smile and looked at the humans that were vexed at her presence.

"Hiding myself in a vessel is pretty uncomfortable, but there's not much option for me," lamented the newly manifested entity.

"A…divine spirit?" Kochiya mumbled.

The greenhead knew nothing, but that phrase automatically came out from her mouth.

Facing Kochiya Sanae and Kawashiro Nitori, the pseudo-Meringian entity chuckled. "Hn? I was planning to tell you that I am a divine spirit, but you seemed to know something."

The Kochiya Sanae of Tyrador remembered nothing about her past life and magic. She wouldn't even be able to answer a simple question about divination methods.

Yet, she correctly guessed the nature of the being manifested before herself and Kawashiro.

Did any particular general knowledge from her past self as a shrine maiden remained dormant within herself? Or was it due to her being an avid reader in fantasy books? Anyway, she was quite surprised that she could guess something from a topic distantly removed from herself as magic correctly.

 _Just what exactly is going on right now?_ As Kochiya thought as such, the entity extracted a small piece of paper and threw it at Kawashiro.

It seemed like it contained much information. _Is that thing really going to tell me some secrets?_ Kochiya frowned. _This anything wannabe just made a huge explosion on this one direction, one lane road as wide as a runway. Now it's trying to tell me a secret...?_

 _...?_

Considering it, Kochiya turned her gaze to the person standing beside her. Kawashiro Nitori, who was in a state of confusion, could only reply with a shrug. Not even the bluehead understood anything that was going on.

 _...!?_

"My name is Ritis. Just like what you've said, I am a divine spirit."

The pseudo-Meringian entity calmly made a simple introduction while maintaining its gaze at the two humans.

Kochiya Sanae might have accurately guessed the identity of Ritis as a divine spirit. But, that didn't mean that she knew the true meaning of an existence just because she accurately guessed someone's identity.

A biologist could accurately predict the classification of a newly discovered animal following its scientific classification, but that didn't mean that the person knew about the nature of the animal in detail. Similarly, Kochiya felt the same way.

"I guess I'm not that famous in Tyrador," Perhaps to break the silence of the night cost, Ritis chuckled. "I am one of the many polytheistic deities worshipped by Meringians before the rise of the Meringian Cathedral to power."

"One of the myriad gods worshipped prior to the Cathedral's rise to power?" Kawashiro Nitori asked.

Being a history hater that simply studied compulsory Tyradorian and Meringian history to pass her final examinations, Kawashiro simply sighed as she recalled everything written in her university text book.

The deity named Ritis looked at Kawashiro Nitori, and sighed at the helpless blue-haired woman. The goddess knew by then that it was useless to wait for Kawashiro's distant memories about Meringian history to resurface.

The Meringian calling her a priestess looked at the self-proclaimed goddess and nodded. The goddess Ritis gracefully replied with a smile towards her priestess and turned her attention to the humans once again.

"Do you remember the main reason behind the defeat of the Meringian Cathedral during the Meringian-Tyradorian war?" Ritis asked as if singing.

A large amount of information flew within the two women's minds. Since they had just talked about the war at the Breundernberng Gettern, thus the memories about the topic weren't completely lost. Even so, neither Kochiya nor Kawashiro spoke anything.

At the same time, the Meringian named Naraza seemed bitter as she heard the name of the conflict mentioned by her goddess. Her fury was obvious enough that she might actually grab someone and slam the person to a wall if not restrained. Ritis however, did not respond to Naraza's reaction and continued to speak freely with a true professional's manner.

"At that point of time, the Meringian Civil War has just met its conclusion." Ritis spoke with melancholy. The Meringian Civil War, as the name may have implied, was a major internal conflict between Meringians from all Meringian worlds. It was said to be the bloodiest civil war in the universe's history and the deadliest war in the galaxy, eradicating 20 quadrillion Meringians.

However, the Meringian Civil War has a negative connotation if spoken from a Tyradorian context. It was a war that became the prelude to the Meringian-Tyradorian war, which was another deadly conflict that claimed 770 billion humans and 10 quadrillion Meringians.

If one spoke of the Meringian Civil War, there was one major event that changed the universe due to that war: rise of the Cathedral. Before the rise of the powerful Cathedral, the Meringian worlds were governed in a republic-styled democracy with a secular administration separating religion from the government.

"...So, why are you telling us something about the Meringian Civil War? Isn't that something has been concluded long in the past?" Kawashiro asked Ritis with an obvious look of distrust. Kawashiro Nitori loathed getting into someone else's trouble, and she had a bad feeling that something terrible was about to happen.

"Heh, such arrogant response coming from atheists, or perhaps magicians," Ritis nonchalantly began. "The Meringian Civil War has yet to be concluded. It is still going on till this day."

Completely stunned, Kawashiro and Kochiya stared at Ritis. Instead of the frightening terms like "Meringian Civil War" or "concluded", it was because they suspected that the goddess was serious. Of course, even if Ritis were mad, it was nothing to the two women. However, as the goddess could use magical abilities and launch wind-based attacks, it would have been dangerous for her to go berserk.

"Hm, I thought that you would understand if I gave you some hints." Ritis lifted his index finger up.

The deity named Ritis continued to smile in a purely business-like manner and took a few steps as she approached the two humans.

"Does it not make you think? I am a foreign deity who is not a part of the Meringian Cathedral."

(A foreign deity that was not part of the Meringian Cathedral?)

If one thought carefully after dissecting the statement, it was literally impossible that another existence besides the religion of Deoh to co-exist after the establishment of the Cathedral.

Yes, that was supposed to be the case here. If the information in history books were to be believed, the pagan Meringian religions disappeared after the victory of the Cathedral.

In addition to the information from history books…Even if the history books were somewhat wrong, their personal experience of fighting the Meringian Executioners left enough certainty about the Cathedral's hostile behavior towards other religions. Even a lunarian that has accidentally entered the Sector was hunted to the depths of hell.

A foreign religion that was not part of the religion of Deoh followed by the Cathedral…would it not be hunted down by the Executioners?

 _"We, the Executioners specialize in exterminating both false gods and their followers. I, myself have slayed six thousand false gods and executed more than a million black magicians."_

A certain Executioner's arrogant claim came into Kochiya's mind. Having fought the magician that was proud of his past achievements, Kochiya could not help but to feel a tinge of nervousness about the development of events unveiling before her eyes.

In other words, the two beings standing before the two humans…would have been through the same hell that a certain alien that they rescued went through, perhaps even worse. It took some skills to flee the Executioners, but a different level of skills to actually last more than a day against the cold-hearted and twisted Executioners.

"As of now, the situation is not so simple. The Executioners are not taking any action after we flee away from them, but the situation will not last for too long," Naraza explained.

 _Fleeing away from the Executioners...?_ Kawashiro frowned in surprise.

"You understand the situation as I speak, right? Things like running away from the Executioners and finding refuge in the world of science, that's how the magician escaped the punishment from the Cathedral, right...?"

The way Naraza spoke about Tyrador as a haven for those not compliant to the standards of the Cathedral was terrifying.

Neither Kochiya nor Kawashiro could assure that the Confederation would remain passive if the influx of Meringians and other aliens into the planet continued to increase.

That was due to the protectionist policy of the Confederation.

In the Confederation of Tyrador, refugees and aliens fleeing their original worlds were most unwanted thing that the government wanted to avoid.

Humans were naturally tribalistic. Throughout years of evolution, humans have learned to be in a small circle as it increases the chance for survival.

Proof of that was how people would flock together based on relationships and proximities such as families and at a macro level, states and nations. Other people would flock together based on ethnicity or anything that gave them a common theme other than 'humanity'.

The ultimate pinnacle of tribalism could be witnessed in the behaviors of the lunarians and national socialists that viewed themselves as a 'pure' race and excluded other people who were deemed 'inferior'.

The humans of the Confederation of Tyrador, the ones who were blessed with talents and reached the pinnacle of scientific evolution, was far more harmonious in terms of mixing with other people and accepting others under the name of diversity. However, a sudden surge of non-humans entering the planet could lead to tensions between native Tyradorians and the newcomers.

An unnatural flow of refugees and newcomers would bring chaos to the natural environment in Tyrador just like how the introduction of new animal or plant species would disturb the natural food chain and ecological system in a place.

"Even so, I never expected those bastards to be extremely excited. But, to be honest, this is the first time that the bastard institution would send out more than five Executioners to hunt for a single magician. Well, counting me in, it would be two."

The goddess named Ritis looked around.

"…?"

Neither Kochiya nor Kawashiro understood Ritis' statement.

"To put it more bluntly…" Ritis continued, appearing to have not a care at all. "We are being hunted by the Meringian Cathedral, and that fucked-up organization has increased their manpower since the failure to kill the magician said to be sheltered by someone that could kill God. The half-baked phony-religious group was consumed by the failure of Executioner Duruk and Archmage Kohor —or rather, they must feel annoyed by the incompetence of their officers."

"Increased the manpower...?" Kawashiro asked. There was a tinge of suspicion coming from her mouth.

"Yeah, I know it sounds suspicious... hold on."

"What?" asked Kochiya.

"...Since when did the environment become so silent? The one that wields the ability to kill God is standing with us, and the magician is also here. Why are they not here yet?"

Hearing that statement, Kawashiro was shocked.

"Whatever do you mean?"

On the other hand, Kochiya gave a confused look at Ritis and Naraza.

"What magician?"

Did you not understand at all?" Ritis asked. "The Executioners should have been here by now. I know not what delayed them."

The Living God that Slays the Omnipotent God and the Element of God who wields the Power of God was shocked.

What did Ritis meant by her statement?

Who was the other magician that she was referring to?

"This was the magician that you saved, right?" asked Naraza. Her index finger was pointed at Kawashiro Nitori. "Then, shouldn't those bastards be here by now?"

"She's a psychic," Kochiya replied. "She's not even a magician."

"!"

Naraza and Ritis looked at each other with an intense gaze. It seemed that their calculations were wrong.

"I told you. I am not a magician, I'm a Tyradorian and a psychic. Where does this 'magician' image about me come from?"

Kawashiro Nitori's clear statement about herself destroyed the illusions of the two magicians. Yet, there was something of higher importance to be notified as Kawashiro's true identity was 'revealed'.

 _This is terrible! This is certainly bad omen…!_

Naraza and Ritis nodded and turned their attention to the two humans.

"It seems that the situation might have become more complicated as of now. Our plan has failed us," Ritis spoke.

"YOUR PLAN?" asked Kochiya and Kawashiro.

 **Part 6**

The pale-faced man named Harold stood beside Shirayuki as they walked along the road.

From afar or behind, one might think that they were a couple that was spending time together in a sweet, weekend date after a week of intense work.

Besides, the fact that both Harold and Shirayuki were smiling and laughing at each other simply made them look more like a legitimate couple.

With that said, the two just met each other during the day but they got along rather quickly.

"Wait, so have you already met that woman, Jade? How unlucky, she has a few screws loose in her mind," said the man. He was rather curious about Shirayuki's background, but he ended up being interviewed by the lunarian.

"Wait, so you do know about Jade as well? You guys must be very close with each other."

Shirayuki continued talking like a child that was being very expressive. Somehow, Harold felt as if he was talking to a small child. Shirayuki was different from Kawashiro Nitori who spoke like a mature adult despite having a child-like body.

He continued to entertain the lunarian regardless.

"Hey, how did you get to know those three wonderful women? You aren't a stalker, are you?"

Harold flapped his mouth for a few minutes as he heard Shirayuki's blatant question about him being a stalker. How dare a mere alien like Shirayuki call such a refined gentleman like himself a stalker? How could she?

Was he that bad that a stranger would suspect him to be a stalker?

"Oi, don't go around and call me a stalker. The three of us were fellow university mates and Nitori was my classmate in the Faculty of Applied Sciences and Engineering. Both of us did Engineering and specialized in Psionic Engineering."

 _Wait…going to the same university? Does that mean he's from that Tyrador Institute of Science and Technology as well...?!_

Shirayuki turned her attention to that man and looked with a face filled with amazement.

After a month of living in this new world, Shirayuki attempted to familiarize herself with everything related to this Sector. As such, she found out that the alma mater of Kawashiro Nitori was rather the best in the planet (and the universe), and those enrolled in that institution were anything but stupid.

"Don't give me that look. Well, people always talk about TIST graduates as if we were omniscient beings that descended on Tyrador, but I got in through sheer effort. I wasn't exactly a genius like Jade or _that midget_ , for the matter."

For a time, Shirayuki stared with suspicion at Harold's face.

"Fine, whatever. Think whatever you want about me, but do know this: I am no genius unlike Jade or _that damn woman_." Harold finally ended his digression. "Unlike those women, I had to give out everything and sacrifice my time and effort just to secure the passing grades to be eligible for TIST's application system. Well, thinking back, that Jade has always been a mad genius since we were together in school."

School?

Did Harold's relationship with Jade extended way back to when they were still young? If that was the case, then he must be truly close with that maniac who thought of herself as an agent of Magna.

"Hmm? Are you curious about that mad genius Jade?" asked Harold. "Well…it's a pity that she suffers from a grand delusion as an agent of Magna, but make no mistake – that woman's intellect in mathematics and computer science is beyond comprehension. That maniac never studied for her computer science exams and was referred to by industry experts even when she was studying. She's currently working on a contract basis with some of the top conglomerates and government agencies as a tester and white hat."

Harold lightly exhaled and continued. "Although, her real specialty is in developing artificial intelligence in inanimate objects and studying how the soul and intelligence is related to each other."

"How the soul and intelligence…is related?" muttered the lunarian.

A magician like Shirayuki understood the significance of the soul and intelligence. Something with a soul but without intelligence could not use magic, thus they were necessary for magicians. However, artificial souls and intelligence were highly debated and studied in the field of magic.

For instance, the creation of youkai. To create a youkai, it was not enough to simply instill fear from humans. Something must be present to contain the energies from human fear, and intelligence is required to allow this new being appreciate 'human fear' and continue to act appropriately to ensure a continuous supply of fear from humans.

Another example was the creation of new divine spirits. Similarly, faith alone was not enough to bring forth the gods to existence. There must be a container, called spirit or soul to empower the beings and support its power. However, the divine spirit must be smart enough to realize the need of faith to empower itself further. Thus, it required intelligence as well.

Thus, various theories were written about the soul and intelligence as magicians attempted to find the link between the two or ways to link the two distinct items.

In the lunar capital, the theory that linked the soul and its intelligence was vastly underdeveloped. Most of the time, the results from experiments that happened to link the soul and intelligence was taken for granted. The lunarians used the results of such experiments for granted as there was no attempt to expand on the results any further.

It was like someone who realized that a car required oil to move, but did not bother to figure out why oil was necessary to move the car and what type of oil could move it. Rather, the person used the results that one particular oil type was used to move a car, and remained with that option forever.

The fact that someone truly understood the relationship between the linking between the soul and intelligence amazed the lunarian. The magic community of the solar system would rejoice upon learning that fact.

"So, she's the type that writes the programs for psychic devices and ensures that the machines function as they should. The artificial intelligence installed within our homes and the devices that allow us to navigate across the universe... Those are some of the things that she has improved on."

The lunarian did not seemed as surprised as earlier. For Shirayuki who was in the realm of magic, she understood that someone with Jade's knowledge could easily create varieties of intelligent beings in a whim. For instance, the creation of AI-empowered psychic devices was just like the creation of tsukumogamis that could think and act.

If Jade truly put in some effort, she might end up creating artificial deities from her computer codes.

Of course, such acts would indeed be threats to real gods, since people would no longer consider gods special due to the abundance of synthetic gods. That would threaten the amount of faith received by gods.

"I see…how about Nitori, then?"

The man moved his eyes and stared at Shirayuki for a few seconds. He seemed to be thinking for a proper answer before replying to the alien.

"Ah, Nitori? Hnn…whenever I spoke with _that midget,_ I always feel that I'm actually talking to an older person," Harold replied. "I have a feeling that she's much older than me despite her external appearance."

"Well, you're currently speaking to someone older than you" the lunarian replied.

The alien aged five thousand Earth years old was indeed much older than Harold.

However, it was different. Compared to Nitori, the man felt that the lunarian did not speak properly for someone of her age.

On the other hand, if he went on and spoke about something other than criticizing the bluehead, he would be responded with a response that indicated experience and maturity in thinking from Kawashiro Nitori.

Was that due to the bluehead's experience, or was it perhaps due to the Psychic Development Curriculum said to bring out the best and worst from someone's soul and mind?

"But again, I can't be so sure…I met her before university, but it was after school."

(Well…the story was much longer than that. It would take some time to explain everything, so I'll gloss over the details. Besides, if she didn't know about their memory loss, then there's no point telling them about it.)

"Eh? Then that means that you and Nitori knew each other during university…?"

Harold thought about the proper answer to the alien's question.

"Well…Jade and I met those two before we went to the same university, but we didn't go to the same school. Yeah, it seemed like fate that we happened to meet each other at that time, or else we wouldn't even know each other that well today. Eh, did I use the correct analogy to describe destiny?"

Harold paused and thought about the meaning of destiny. To those who viewed everything from a scientific perspective, destiny was nothing more that probability and statistics of all possible events that was most likely to happen in the future.

Shirayuki chuckled as she understood the scientific man's thoughts. "Destiny isn't so simple that mathematics can fully explain it." She had finally said it.

The two contrasting opinions about the vague subject of destiny clashed.

"Is that really the case?" Upon hearing such a word, it was Harold's first response. Destiny… Harold did not know where Shirayuki's idea about destiny came from but, if one approached the idea from a rational and mathematical perspective: destiny is determined solely from the culmination of various 'ifs' that became reality. One event, a realization of a sea of probabilities, led to another event, which was also made up by a sea of probabilities. By building up these endless probabilities, future could be summarized into a few possibilities: an iterated future when only an event was going to happen, an unknown future that allowed for all possibilities and a binary-like future with only two possibilities, yes and no.

The reason why supercomputers were effective in predicting the future were due to their massive churning abilities, capable of calculating every single probability and highlighting the probabilities with the greatest value of happening. And, for some reason, there was the ability called Future Steiner that could accurately predict the future and outsmart 'destiny'. As someone thinking from that point of view, Harold wasn't exactly wrong.

"Anyway, doesn't it feel off right here? There's this weird feeling going on for some time now," Shirayuki looked at the night sky and turned her gaze to the man. Of course, she wasn't talking about how her feelings for the man were starting to change as she saw the pale-faced man.

She felt extremely awkward as she looked around.

"Quite right…it certainly feels like that," the man replied honestly. The man looked around the streets that was starting to feel like an empty void, but did not say anything about it. "Those two are surely taking their time off. What the heck are those two doing anyway? I should contact them, I guess."

Harold gave a blank expression as he spoke about how Kochiya Sanae and Kawashiro Nitori had been disappearing for some time.

 **Part 7**

"...What do you mean? Are you seriously thinking that we would blindly cooperate with your stupid plan?" Kochiya shouted furiously at the magician named Naraza.

But, the magician before her was as stern as ever, unable to brush herself off.

"Then, are you saying that you don't care about us and you'd just turn a blind eye about the Cathedral's brutal oppression against us?!" Naraza seemed like she was about to explode from fury herself as she continued speaking in a stressed manner. "—because of selfish people like you who turned a blind eye on us, we continued to suffer!"

"..."

Neither Kochiya Sanae nor Kawashiro Nitori said anything.

"Sure, go ahead, mock me as much as you like, fucking atheists. After all, what have you guys done besides mocking other forms of study such as magic? All you know is mocking and hating people that aren't on the same page as you guys are!"

The magician filled with hatred and fury for the institutions that ruled the universe glared at the two humans.

No one knew, no one knew, no one knew.

No one understood Naraza.

How could she deal with someone who knew nothing about her?

Naraza continued to rant on but Kochiya, who still had not accepted the things that Naraza and Ritis spoke of, could understand nothing.

"Fine by me. If this is how you psychics are going to play, then I'll dance by the tune of you disgusting people," the magician continued. "Master…help me against these enemies of yours."

Something changed. The two women could feel the change, but what was it that made the environment changed? All they knew was that there was something powerful enough to start these changes.

"I hope you're prepared for this, dear atheists. You're up against someone who has been living in a battlefield for her whole life," Naraza sneered cynically.

But there was someone who had already started her move by the time Naraza finished her sentence.

"...Do you think you'll hurt my pride like that?" The blue-haired woman named Kawashiro Nitori spoke as she 'appeared' behind Ritis.

The goddess turned back with a pleasantly surprised face while Naraza was slightly panicked.

"Impressive…so you can teleport?" the goddess complimented. "Not bad for someone who doesn't rely on gods."

But Kawashiro was not in the mood for talks. Instead of replying to the magician's praise (or whatever it might be), she slightly tapped the heel of his foot on the gravel as if she were tapping her foot to a rhythm.

In that instant, the asphalt road beneath Kawashiro exploded like she had stepped on a landmine.

A large amount of gravel scattered in every direction and at close range it was reminiscent of a shotgun blast.

Kochiya almost thought that the attacks were lethal enough to kill herself as she dodged the large chunks of rocks that were flying in every direction.

Speaking of which, both Naraza and Ritis leapt five meters above the ground as they dodged the attacks that were shooting straight towards them while Kawashiro kicked the chunks of rocks like footballs.

"That midget's pretty annoying, don't you think?" Ritis spoke, as if mocking Kawashiro. "Now that they've opened the stage, should we dance on it, my dear priestess?"

Naraza only replied with a cruel smile carved on her face. A priestess was meant to obey the orders of the gods.

And for the magician who was waiting for the right time to act, it was an order she had anticipated.

This time, it was the priestess' time to retaliate. Before Kawashiro Nitori could think of anything, the air around her blew upwards in a swirling motion, just like a tornado with a tremendous speed. Its impact was such that even Kochiya was pulled towards the tornado.

Naraza's expression was that of delight as she saw Kawashiro's struggle against the force of god.

"The nature of myself as a priestess of my goddess allows me to use spells related to my goddess' nature." Naraza continued explaining while toying with her enemies.

Kawashiro Nitori was having trouble resisting the powerful current of wind, whereas Kochiya Sanae was simply clinging to a metal pipe installed to a building beside her.

"My master, Ritis is a goddess that rules over the wind and the atmosphere. In other words, I can freely use wind magic without the need for magic incantations or spiritual items to back me up," Naraza easily continued. "Unlike the magicians of the Meringian Cathedral, wind is a natural part of me and using wind spells are as easy as moving my limbs or fingers freely."

In other words, there was no restriction for Naraza to use wind magic. Kochiya Sanae recalled her fight against the mad religious bigot named Duruk. That alien had used incantations and his spells were limited to the support provided by his magic circle. But, if Naraza's words were true, then it would be a troublesome enemy to deal with as she would be an enemy with limitless power.

Even if her magical wind was erased, the magician could use the same magic again and again.

Even so, Kochiya could not continue clinging on the metal pipe that was reaching its end of its life as a component of the building. If the wind was let to continue at its current pace, the surrounding buildings might end up being destroyed as well.

Because of that, Kochiya let go of her support and let herself be sucked by the powerful wind.

"I see, I see. You must have a death wish. Oh, I heard that you atheists don't really die from natural causes and have an extended lifespan," Naraza chuckled cynically. "Wait, do you guys even have any lifespan? I recalled that you guys have this concept of 'purity'. You weirdos aren't even living beings according to your twisted scientific standards. You bastards are just existing like a space rock that was meant to exist indefinitely in space."

"…"

Ritis remained silent as she listened to her priestess' rambling.

"Oh yeah. I heard you bastards developed the concept of 'purity' from the essence of life and death? Sure, sure, I understand that science worshippers such as yourselves fear death more than anyone else that you'd go as far as removing those concepts from your souls. For you guys, there is no such thing as paradise and purgatory after death."

But Naraza's enjoyment of tormenting the 'weak' was not for long.

As Kochiya's right hand touched the powerful tornado that was surely turning the alley into a wasteland, the gust of wind disappeared instantly.

There was no trace of a powerful wind current going on there. The mighty tornado caused by magic had been completely erased as if it never existed in the first place.

Kawashiro Nitori, who has been standing in the center of the tornado attempted to step forward. It seemed that she has been using a psychic shield to protect herself from the wind, but somehow, she could still feel the impact of the wind.

It seemed that regardless of the presence of a psychic shield that completely protected the bluehead from harm's way, she couldn't completely calculate out the magic impact of the wind.

Tyradorian psychics weren't like natural psychics. Their brains and souls were damaged in the process of bringing out the latent talents of psychic abilities held within every person.

It was not impossible. Even in Earth, these were cases of people becoming savants and saints after injuries. For instance, Derek Amato became a splendid pianist, and Jason Padgett became a mathematical savant that could comprehend the true nature of pi after a brain injury. It was possible that Usami Sumireko also suffered from similar cases which awakened her latent psychic ability. These cases were referred to as acquired savant syndrome.

What the Confederation of Tyrador's Psychic Development Curriculum did was just replicating these injuries in a scientifically controlled method to induce more abilities within each person.

As a result, those who went through the Psychic Development Curriculum became extremely potent in mathematical sciences, depending on the nature of their abilities. However, since the mathematics calculated by psychics did not factor in outside forces such as magic, their brains could not factor in these supernatural factors into consideration. As such, Kawashiro Nitori was not able to completely shield herself from the wind induced through magical means.

Of course, despite her calculation ability being 'incomplete', Kawashiro could still calculate and release enough psychic power to shield herself from the magical wind.

That alone was a testament to her mastery in psychic abilities.

Naraza, however only smirked as she saw the two opponents of hers.

She had expected them to survive the attack. If they couldn't even withstand her power, then how could those two really survive an Archmage in a magical battle?

Despite that, the magician was not planning to stop there. She would continue her battle regardless. "In the name of Ritis, turn the air into sharp blades and shoot down your enemies!"

The goddess named Ritis smiled and nodded, and extended her arms wide.

A certain change happened.

The air surrounding her then shot down onto the ground like an endless barrage of bullets.

Both Kochiya Sanae and Kawashiro Nitori moved nimbly as they dodged the attacks. The colorless air made the attacks invisible, thus it was a mental fight to dodge the bullets unlike the bullets from ground fired by Duruk.

The goddess named Ritis looked down from her position five meters above the ground.

A divine spirit like her would seem like a divine being delivering divine punishment over the disbelievers for outsiders.

Even so, the attacks weren't lethal. Unlike most divine spirits and equal beings that demanded living sacrifices and such, Ritis loathed meaningless and senseless killing.

"Oi, what should we do right now?" asked Kawashiro Nitori. Since they were dodging invisible bullets, it wasn't as simple as dodging a visible thing.

And besides, Kawashiro Nitori was not the type that would be able to remain in a situation for an extremely long time.

Moreover, fighting in an alley gave a great disadvantage to both Kochiya Sanae and Kawashiro Nitori. Since the attackers had the advantage of flight, the enemies could attack from above the ground while they had to dodge everything in a cramped space.

Most likely, Naraza had factored that into her mind when she brought Kawashiro Nitori here.

Thus, the first thing that came into Kochiya's mind was to remove that strategic advantage from Naraza and Ritis.

In other words, …to run.

It might seem as cowardly, but there was a military strategy of strategic retreat to remove the enemy's advantage or force the enemy to play along in a battlefield that gave the enemy disadvantage. Kochiya Sanae might not have fought for as long as Naraza did, but she was also a soldier that has stepped into battlefields beforehand.

Swinging her right hand that cruelly destroyed all miracles, she negated the incoming bullets while pulling Kawashiro Nitori with her left hand.

"Oi, what the hell are you doing?" Kawashiro asked. "This is ridiculous, do you hear me? I'm sick of running away! Whenever I'm with you, I always have this feeling that I'm going to run somewhere!"

"Oh, shut up now!" Kochiya protested. "It's not like I enjoy running like this anyway!"

Both Kochiya and Kawashiro ran a kilometer away from the alley to a normal road that was wider.

At the same time, Ritis and Naraza flew above the two women as if they were chasing preys that were running away.

"Haha! As expected, not bad, not bad, not bad at all! I can see why the two of you can defeat Kohor!"

Instead of getting furious, Ritis laughed to her heart's content. She was truly satisfied with the sight unveiling before her naked eyes.

The only one confused by Ritis' compliment was Naraza. Unlike Ritis who understood Kochiya's mind, Naraza was looking at her master with a confused expression.

Since she was still in the offense while Kochiya Sanae and Kawashiro Nitori were running away like little chicks running away from the attacks of a powerful eagle, she could not see why her master praised Kochiya.

Kochiya immediately moved her fingers in an awkward manner.

"..."

Kawashiro Nitori immediately nodded while still running. It seemed that the bluehead immediately understood what Kochiya said.

However, Naraza noticed the movement of those fingers. But she thought that it was some type of weird moves to sway her attention.

She knew not that it was a communication method between Kochiya and Kawashiro.

"Don't let your guard down," spoke Ritis. "That green haired woman might not look like it, but she's a battle genius. Even Kohor could be defeated against someone like her."

Hearing the words 'battle genius', Naraza thought that her goddess was trying to make a joke. There was no sign that the greenhead actually had any battle plans against her. Well, the greenhead couldn't even escape the curse of gravity unlike herself, so there was no way whatsoever that she could be harmed by the enemy.

But… for some reason,

The ground shook terribly. The impact was just powerful enough that even the flying magicians could feel the impact of the tremors from the shock.

Naraza thought that she saw something impossible. She rubbed her eyes in disbelief, but it wasn't an illusion, apparently. Kochiya was 'flying' straight in the air while negating the bullets shooting straight towards the greenhead.

"...Are you serious?" Naraza wondered.

However, Kochiya Sanae had not invoked the powers of Yasaka Kanako.

Proof of that was seen in her weird manner of 'flight' that was more like a satellite being propelled to space, rather than naturally flying like the Kochiya Sanae of Gensokyou.

Which left Naraza thinking about one possibility…

Kawashiro Nitori. The light blue-haired woman with hairs tied in a twin tailed fashion. She must have propelled Kochiya Sanae to the air using her ability.

"...Humph." Naraza detachedly sneered at the two women. Her expression was the inexplicable one of an actor whose role was stolen. "No matter how much you try to gain air superiority from me, it's going to be useless. Unlike a naturally air-controlling being like me, you are just relying on the propelling force to resist gravity like a rocket being fired to space."

Naraza extended her right arm towards the direction Kochiya was heading.

"Here's a sample of how a real magician that has mastered the air acts. It's best you take a look. It'd be bad if you missed out the powers of someone who has total control over the atmosphere."

Naraza looked at Kochiya with a look that someone would give upon seeing dung or insect, and thought for a few seconds. The magician might not be that well-versed in the field of science, but she understood that the basic concept for the greenhead's motion was Newton's Third Law of Motion.

By supplying psychic energy and force it upon the ground, a force equal in magnitude and opposite in direction would act on Kochiya, pushing her upwards.

 _But that woman herself doesn't have any innate ability of flight. She's merely relying on the physical laws to support herself on the air unlike myself_ , Naraza thought.

 _Hehehe_ , the magician thought. Something 'terrific' came into her mind as she casted a spell.

"Let's see how you face this, GOD KILLER!" Naraza shouted. "Oh Ritis, come to me and be my guide! Remove the restrains of all wind in the world and direct them to YOUR ENEMIES!"

Ritis disappeared from sight, while the magician's body glowed brightly. A large magic circle with a diameter of five meters materialized in front of Naraza's right arm aimed at Kochiya Sanae.

Kochiya felt that something terrible was about to happen while she was still on air.

A powerful gust of wind flew towards one direction: in front of Kochiya Sanae.

Naraza grinned widely as she looked at her enemy. Kochiya was strayed from her trajectory, in fact flew in an awkward manner.

 _So, if I gathered all the wind in one point, I can easily disrupt the balance between herself and me. Haha! Even if she negated the attack, she'll fall down like an idiot! Although, I still need to deal with the other person..._

Naraza looked down at her two enemies. Having infused herself with her goddess, she was unstoppable.

 _…You fucking atheists, how dare you look down on me!_

This time, she was going to obliterate anything and everything. The massive amount of air from all over the planet being compressed to one point required a great amount of magic being released; it was far beyond a normal magician's capabilities.

 _…If I continue to compress the air, just what would happen? I'm not a fucking scientist, so this is the time to find out!_

Naraza's devilish curiosity got the better of herself.

 _…This won't work. You're too naïve for your own good, Naraza._

 _Naraza looked at the source of the voice._

The God Killer.

 _What did you say?_ Naraza wondered.

 _The air is compressing well…that greenhead's just playing with my sentiments! Haha! Look at that, even her friend is watching with a helpless face as I compress all air in one point!_

 _…I told you, this is the most stupid move you'll ever make, Naraza,_ Kochiya proudly exclaimed.

Following that exclamation was something that made Naraza froze.

In a normal situation, compression of air would allow for the formation of water or even superfluid. But, using magic, it was possible to ionize the molecules in air, causing the formation of something called plasma.

Naraza thought by creating a large amount of plasma, she could blow away her enemies to smithereens.

In theory, she was right. She was very correct. The hellish purgatory of heat called plasma would normally be formed at 7000 degrees Celsius and above.

With that much heat contained within itself, how could a normal human touch the plasma without turning into nothingness?

However…something that defied common sense happened before Naraza. Something that was **_not supposed_** to happen at all. This was her first time fighting a psychic, but even then, there were things that she was confident enough to say it as an impossibility.

 _Why the hell is all the air moving away from me?! Impossible!_

Naraza has casted a spell that would attract all air into one location and ionize them, allowing for the formation of plasma.

But all air was flowing away from her, as if her magic was not functioning as it was supposed to. But she made sure that her magic worked as it was supposed to.

Even Ritis, the goddess behind that spell that was strengthening the magic further, found this phenomenon ridiculous. Unless a magician stepped in and casted a magic interception spell, this phenomenon should be impossible.

Furthermore, as a goddess it required a higher level of spell interception to stop her spells.

 _But most importantly, I can intercept anything like that!_ Ritis spoke.

Kochiya Sanae laughed. Despite her body being unstable and her speed slowing down due to the high air resistance that was on her way, she was just a few meters from the magician said to rule over air.

"You rotten atheist…just what on earth did you do?!" Naraza roared, but it was useless.

The intensity of the spell casted by Naraza was so great that she would need to cancel the spell if she wanted to strike Kochiya with another powerful spell.

In other words, she had no option but to face Kochiya head-on with the remaining air that still obeyed her and Ritis. She might not be able to do something like bombing the whole region or creating a tornado, but she could still create air-based weapons using her magical ability.

"Now, Nitori…!" shouted Kochiya loudly. It was the only chance for the greenhead to knock down the arrogant magician, and she would not lose this instant.

The wind blew very quickly above Kochiya in a horizontal manner. This created an imbalance in air pressure that allowed for the air beneath Kochiya to push the greenhead upwards.

At the same time, Kawashiro tapped her feet to the ground once again.

This time, Kochiya's trajectory was restored to its real target; Naraza. The magician prepared an immediate spell to counter Kochiya Sanae, while the greenhead touched the magic circle that was the foundation of the air compression spell.

But, there was a laughter from Naraza's body.

It didn't belong to the priestess, Naraza itself. Instead, it belonged to the goddess, Ritis.

"Splendid! A job well done!"

Was that truly a compliment, or was it a mockery?

Ritis saw the cooperation between Kawashiro Nitori and Kochiya Sanae and realized that both of them have been fighting together all along.

"You still have a lot to learn, my dear priestess," spoke the goddess.

The wind priestess was lost for words. She could not fathom anything that was going on, but Kochiya spoke anyway.

"The Navier-Stokes equation. I'm not sure if you knew about fluid dynamics, but if you did study Physics then you'd know that it is a crucial subject that every aspiring engineers and physicists must know in heart," Kochiya explained.

Naraza was lost in the technicalities of Science.

"Do you know that in Physics, the behavior of air and liquid motion can be explained using the same equations but using different parameters? In other words, the behavior of air and water could be explained using the same equations; Navier-Stokes being one of the many equations."

Kochiya Sanae was speaking about fluid mechanics.

To a magician, water and air manipulation were two different fields with different specialties. A wind priestess wouldn't be able to immediately master water magic without studying a different set of magical rules, and a water mage wouldn't be able to grasp wind magic without starting all over again.

Naraza and Ritis, being wind mages understood that fact. However, the study of wind and water motion was nothing more than the study of the same set of laws with different parameters such as viscosity in Physics. For Kawashiro Nitori who was a master in hydrokinesis, she only had to change the values of the parameters in her head to manipulate the wind.

Of course, it was a gambit for Kawashiro to attempt that, and she only realized that when Kochiya told her via their secret communication methods while running away from the alley. But why would she be able to manipulate wind controlled by magic?

The answer was simple: Naraza had not changed the laws of fluid mechanics using magic.

Naraza may have casted a magic that concentrated all air in the planet in one region, but the laws of motion of the wind towards the center of the spell was not changed. All Kawashiro had to do was to redirect the flow of air somewhere else, while assuming the center of the air to be the center of gravity.

At the end, the compression spell was negated by Kochiya, and soon afterwards, a solid punch landed on Naraza's face.

The arrogant magician's illusion was crushed, and both Naraza and Kochiya fell down towards the ground.

* * *

 **Finally, finally and finally. Free time to continue this stuff! If you have been waiting (really?), then I apologize. I'm still struggling on writing fillers, so I apologize for that xD.**

 **Anyway, have you guys played AoCF yet? Quite an interesting game, not as fucking Clownpiece as LoLK but still a pleasant game.**


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